#and she’s like light gray maybe a little lavender even

[claudiaeparvier]

Rinat…my beloved….

[ficsbb]

Hello lovely!! Could you write something about John Wick with a really girly/hyperfeminine reader? I think he would love someone who’s just a total softy and a ray of sunshine. The type to always have flowers around, read fluffy romance books, and has a 10 step skincare routine. I think john would totally spoil her too 🤭🤭 maybe there’s a little bit of an age gap and she loves to tease him about being an old man 😅 idk I just want this man to have a sweet little starburst of a person to treat him right ❤️❤️ illysm 🥰😘

Thank you for the prompt!!! I hope it's to your liking, and I'm sorry it took so long 🫣🌺

》 Pairing: John Wick x Fem!Reader

John is skilled in many things, most being steering clear of big crowds and handling insanely dangerous weapons, but trying to handle two mugs of hot coffee while shooing the pup away is becoming... a task. He climbs the stairs and makes it to your shared room. The door is open slightly, and he catches you sitting in front of your vanity. Small vials, dried florals, makeup palettes littered all over. He doesn't know what half of it is, but he knows it smells like vanilla and lavender. It smells like you. Your eyes catch his, and he smiles as you bubble over with giggles, "Hey, you. Let me help." John nods and leans down to kiss the tip of your nose. "Watch me put on my makeup?" He smiles and says, "Of course."

He watches as you mingle with his acquaintances, your laugh infectious and distinctive. He notices how the younger men look you over and a small spark of jealousy gnaws at him, but he knows it's ridiculous. "Are you alright?" John is startled by your voice and nods quickly, "I'm alright, yeah." You know he isn't, so you grab his hand and lead him outside for some fresh air. "What's wrong?" You ask and watch him look at his hands, avoiding your eyes. You don't push. Rather, let the sound of the wind and low voices of people passing by fill the air until he speaks up. "Are you sure you're okay with me?" He asks, and the question confuses you, "I'm- I- look at these grays." John is taken back when you laugh out loud, uncontrollably. "John," you start, bringing your hands to his face, "your grays don't bother me one bit. I love you, silly." You reach up to peck his nose. He shakes his head and pulls you in for a languid kiss. "Now let's get back so I can show you off." You watch his back straighten, and he follows you inside.

You wake up the next morning to the smell of breakfast. It makes your stomach grumble embarrassingly loud. You find yourself out of bed, rinsed, and ready to head downstairs. "Good morning, pretty girl." John's voice is raspy and still full of sleep. He sets your food in front of you and watches as you take the first bite. "I have something for you." He reaches into his jacket pocket, draped over a kitchen chair, and places a small rectangular box on the counter. Your eyes light up, excited. "What's the special occasion?" He cocks his head to the side, "Since when do I need an occasion to spoil you with gifts?" You don't argue with that and open the box. A beautiful gold anklet with charms is settled into the velvet interior. "John, oh my goodness.." He smiles wide, delighted to see that you like it so much. "Let me." He takes it and kneels down in front of you, propping your foot on his knee to clasp the anklet on. "It fits perfectly, thank you!" You feel flushed when he kisses your foot. "So beautiful." He rises and kisses your lips, leaving you in a daze. "John, you really spoil me." "Not enough." He says and kisses you again.

A full day of shopping usually consists of John watching you pick out pretty things and ask him if he likes it for the bathroom, bedroom, on your body etc. It makes his heart swell. Bags full of fresh new linen and candles, both of your favorite snacks and foods are littered in the trunk of the car by early evening. After settling down, John coming down to the living room, he sees you sitting on the couch. Your legs are tucked up under you with a blanket draped over your shoulders and a mug of something warm in your hands; the steam obviously tickling your nose as you bring it up to your face to take a sip. "May I join you?" You nod and make room. The volume of the television is set low and it starts to lull John to sleep, but before his eyes completely close, he looks over at you. Your eyes set on the rom-com and your hand intertwined with his. "You okay?" You ask him, placing a soft kiss on his forehead. John sighs and closes his eyes, "Yes. Perfectly okay here with you."

[iamthecomet]

𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘋𝘢𝘺 𝘚𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯: 𝘊𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘦

Rating: Pairing: Mountain & Cumulus & Dew Word Count: 743 Mountain and Cumulus make Dew's favorite cake for his summoning day. Mushy May brought to you by @forlorn-crows Divider by @ghuleh-recs

Mountain doesn’t consider himself much of a baker. He isn’t Cumulus who can whip up scones, and cookies, and marvelous cakes in an afternoon. He isn’t Dew who has an overall knowledge of all things kitchen that seems to be endless. But, he knows how to follow a recipe. And he knows how to make one thing perfectly.

Dew’s summoning day cake. 

If it was up to Dew–no one would make him anything. They’d have dinner together–that Dew cooked, and play games on the ancient N64 system, or watch a campy horror movie. There would be no cake, no gifts, no fuss. 

It’s not because Dew doesn’t like cake and gifts and fuss–it’s because he doesn’t think he deserves them–sees them as superfluous. 

Mountain won’t stand for it. 

Cumulus is with him, of course. Mountain feels better with her around when he’s baking. Like even if she just stood somewhere in the room and didn’t help it would come out better. She’s standing next to him, creaming butter and sugar while Mountain steeps strong earl gray tea to infuse into the batter. 

Cumulus measures out honey and adds it to her mixture of wet ingredients. Eggs are next. The kitchen already smells divine and they haven’t even put it in the oven yet. 

“He’s going to complain,” Mountain says, apprehensive. 

“He always complains. He doesn’t like when people do things for him.”

“I just wonder if maybe we should listen to him for once.” Mountain strains the tea into Cumulus’ mixture and she sighs. Humming softly as the herbal smell hits her. She adds a dash of lavender–her secret ingredient. 

“What and do nothing?” 

Mountain shakes his head. “Less, maybe. I mean I don’t like when people go all out for me–it feels–I don’t like to be seen like that.” 

“But that’s you, Mount,” Cumulus says softly, watching Mountain sift dry ingredients together. “Dew’s different. And we’re already making the cake.” 

“I don’t mean the cake. Of course we have to make the cake. I mean the gifts, the fawning over him. Maybe we could just watch a bad movie and–”

“Are you really going to be able to watch him make us all dinner on his summoning day and not help at all?” 

Mountain shakes his head. “No.” 

“What did you get him?” 

“Besides the cake?”

Cumulus laughs, she nudges Mountain with her hip. “What? Are you keeping it from me too?” 

Mountain blushes a little. “He found this rock when we were on tour, it’s not even anything special but it’s pretty. I…I might have stolen it from him and made it into a necklace.” 

Cumulus laughs, bright and airy. She takes the bowl of dry ingredients from Mountain and starts to add them little by little to the wet. “And you say you don’t want to fawn over him.”

Mountain flushes, he can’t help it. “He deserves it.” 

Cumulus nods in agreement as she mixes the batter. Mountain watches it come together–he dips his finger in, unable to resist the herbal sweetness of it. The lingering flavor of honey and bergamot burst on his tongue. He goes for another taste and Cumulus bats his hand away.  “Save some for, Droplet.” 

“Droplet will get plenty,” Mountain says, leaning over and kissing her on the temple, sneaking his finger into the batter as he does. 

“Enough!” She hip checks him, and curls her arm protectively over the bowl. “Go make the caramel or the frosting or something. You know Swiss can only keep him busy for so long.” 

Mountain smiles warmly at her, turning to dump the softened butter into the stand mixer. “Yes, ma’am.” 

When Dew and Swiss appear–an hour and a half later, the cake is done. Sitting tall and proud on the table in the middle of the kitchenette. Perfectly iced, caramel glaze dripping decadently down the sides. 

Dew’s smile lights up his face, his eyes dart over to Mountain and Cumulus a pink blush rising to his cheeks. “You didn’t have to.” 

“You alway say that–and yet, we always do.” Cumulus crosse the room to pull Dew into a hug, to kiss him gently on the forehead. 

“Thank you,” he whispers.

Mountain answers Dew’s smile with one of his own. This–he remembers–is why they do this. Just for these small moments when Dew allows himself to be loved and doted on without complaint or embarrassment. For the moment when he sees his favorite cake, waiting, just for him.

[daddycassie]

A day by the lake with miss Lucy Gray 🌼

Pairing ~ Lucy Gray Baird x Fem!Reader - 2,021 words

Warnings: Fluff to Smut, a lot of foreplay, back clawing(very briefly), bondage, praise, woah this is kinky, Lucy gray being a sub

It was early evening when your lover dragged you down to her favorite spot by the lake. She was a sweetheart in all her glory, you watch her twirl, her lavender sundress fanning out around her as you spin her playfully. Lucy Gray nearly topples over with delighted laughter, she honestly might have had she not gripped onto your shoulders for balance. When she gazes to you with lovesick, brown eyes you simply have to kiss her.

She smiles happily against your lips before setting out her favorite(only) picnic blanket. “It’s warm enough to go swimming.” You tell her thoughtfully. Lucy Gray nods, “Did you want to?” She asks. You nod back, easily undressing down to your undergarments. You were oblivious to the way she stared.

You didn’t exactly have swimsuits, so bra and underwear would have to do. When you speed off and cannonball into the water Lucy Gray watches your every step. Briefly, she folds up your clothes and proceeds to undress herself too. She walks over and drapes her legs into the water, sparkling eyes searching the deep blue for you.

You grab your lover by the legs from under the dock and she shrieks, loud and high pitched. Your laughter follows and she tries her best to glare at you. “Y/n, what the hell?!” Lucy Gray crosses her arms, bringing another smile to your face. You pull her into the water, to her great displeasure and she holds onto you tightly. “You’re too cute hon.” You say with a kiss to her nose.

Lucy Gray can’t help the smile it brings to her face. “You’re so mean to me, you know?” She says softly. “Yeah well at least I can swim.” Your girlfriend’s face flushes at the tease. “I can swim, I just… prefer to be near you, because I love you so, SO much.” She solidifies the statement with an eager kiss.

You don’t know how much you believe her words, but you kiss back anyway, caressing the exposed small of her back. Lucy Gray is smooth and warm, and you’re afraid you might start getting a little handsy when cold water hits you in the face. The way Lucy Gray giggles mischievously tells you it was her doing. “Got it up my nose you lil shit.” You huff.

“Mhmmm,” she hums, “but you wouldn’t still be kissin’ me if you were mad.” You hated that she just knew everything — or at least acted like she did. You deepen the kiss suddenly and her eyes fly open in shock. She looks at you and you stare back. She’s quick to relent, letting her eyes flutter shut as her arms wrap around your neck.

One of your hands goes to Lucy Gray’s long hair, gently tugging and kneading there. Your other hand squeezes her hip, caressing it with your thumb. You feel the way your songbird’s heart thuds in her chest. The way her breath hitches. The way her hips press against you and you simply can’t resist—

She pulls away, taking a deep breath and you’re brought back to your senses. “Mmh, careful there.” Lucy Gray chuckles nervously. “I’m always careful.” You whisper, and kiss her jaw. Her eyes snap shut again and her legs hook around you. “Sure you are…” she mumbles back. Your hand moves down from her hair, to the small of her back again.

You want to turn her around and kiss a pattern down it till she quivers beneath you. You revel in the way Lucy Gray whines into the evening air. In this lighting she looks like a goddess, to you she is. She looks down at you while you lean in and kiss her vulnerable neck.

Lucy Gray bites her lip. Especially when you start biting. Tears prick at the corners of her cute doe eyes. “Y/n, baby, m-maybe we should get out of the water?” She offers faintly. “Mm. Right, blanket?” Lucy Gray nods in quick agreement to your words.

It’s not very difficult to carry her over to the little picnic blanket, even less so to lay her down. As soon as you’re leaning over her she presses her hips up against you with a quiet whimper. It’s warm, you note, she must be pretty desperate. You pull her hair again so her head leans back and her neck is bared.

As soon as she’s vulnerable again, you continue to make quick work of kissing and biting her neck. Lucy Gray’s continued little noises are quite the reward, and you decide it may be time to be a little cruel. Revenge for the splashing, after all. You drop your hips down on hers, effectively pinning them down against the blanket. She groans loudly in response, her breath is warm and steamy. Your lover’s muscles tense in failed attempts to buck her hips and you can’t help smirking. “What’s wrong Lucy Gray?” You coo to her. “Please… don’t be cruel.” Lucy Gray breathes her words. You love the way her nails dig into your shoulders needily.

She cries out particularly loudly when you start sucking on her neck, leaving marks that will surely be hard to cover up later. You decide to tease her a little. “Those ones won’t be easy to cover up, maybe I should move… lower.” Lucy Gray moans at your words. “Please, yes.” She nods frantically.

You lift your hips off of hers, only to press your knee between her legs after, causing her to tremble. “Baby, baby please.” She sounds pitifully desperate. You peel away Lucy Gray’s wet bra and admire her for a while. Certainly, the beauty in front of you was blessed by Aphrodite.

You place your hand on her chest, and she quickly arches into the touch. “Good girl.” You speak without thinking. The noise she makes in response is absolutely filthy and the way she grinds into your knee… it’s irresistible. You want to hear that voice sobbing brokenly into your ear.

You squeeze, knead and pull her chest and her pretty moans continue. You drink in Lucy Gray’s voice like it’s the last time you’ll ever hear it. “Please, please—“ she’s cut off by a whine when you stand.

“Come back!” Lucy Gray bites her lower lip for a moment, trying to lure you back with a pleading look. You look back with a smirk, “I’ll be back sweetheart, I just need to grab something I promise you’ll like it.” She doesn’t seem convinced but doesn’t complain further as you walk off to the shed.

When you come back, Lucy Gray is sitting up, having undressed herself the rest of the way, she pouts. “You took too long.” She spoke with a sharp edge to her voice. That edge would melt like butter soon. “Sorry, I got you something.” You smile, pushing her back down to resume the previous position. You hold up a smooth piece of rope. “Think you’d be okay if I bind your wrists up?”

Lucy Gray’s eyes narrow and she nods, when it came to you she was sure she could trust that you would make sure she enjoyed herself. You ball up a small piece of white cloth. “And this?” You ask, knowing she’ll understand what you’re asking. Again, she nods. Carefully, you adjust the position so that Lucy Gray is laying belly down propped up on her elbows, you hold yourself on top of her still.

You bring your lover’s wrists to your lips and kiss her pulse points, you can feel her fast heart beat. You tie her wrists out in front of her, assuring her comfort as you tighten and knot it. Lucy Gray tests its security with a couple tugs and then a thumbs up. You gesture for her to open her mouth and use the white cloth as a gag, if her short hum says anything, she’s definitely pleased.

Once she’s ready, you continue toying with her chest. Lucy Gray pants heatedly, the longer you tease, the mistier she seems. By the time you become bored of messing with her breasts she’s covered in a sheen of sweat. When she looks back at you, you see the dark lust in her eyes.

Your hands travel down her navel, and she groans into the cloth gag, pressing back flush against you. She was a little overwhelmed, but in the best way possible, she feels dizzy when you spread her legs apart. “That’s it, wider now. You’re doing so good.” Her honey eyes glaze out of focus and the world seems hazy when you praise her.

When you finally touch her sensitivity, Lucy Gray wants many things. She wants to slap you, she wants you to touch her, she wants to yell at you, she wants you to hurry up and fuck her already. She whines into the gag, hoping it would urge you to do something. The brunette feels great relief when you actually do, she presses her face down into the blanket as your fingers caress her clit.

Her hips jolt and her thighs tremble while you touch the bundle of nerves, she tries for louder moans but the gag makes it hard. You snicker behind her as she clenched tightly around nothing. Lucy Gray attempts a huff, but it turns into a whine when you circle her slit.

She squeezes her teary eyes shut and tries to plead with you, but there isn’t much she can do but squirm while you teethe at her neck roughly. She can feel each mark left behind, and it stings in just the right way that makes her eyes roll. You continue teasing her entrance, her muffled whimpers tell you all you need to know about how good it feels. Her hips grind down, rewarding her with a bit more friction, but not enough.

Lucy Gray feels your free hand on her chest, and you flick her there softly. She only trembles harder, her elbows struggling to support her. Finally, finally, you press one finger into her and with how overstimulated she feels it’s enough to make her scream under the gag. She squirms and jerks and cries, and you think it’s the hottest thing you’ve ever seen.

Lucy Gray is beyond soaked, and not just because of the dip in the lake. Her walls feel searingly hot, and the tightness makes fingering her harder, but somehow more satisfying. You press in the second finger slower, trying not to hurt her too much. The smaller woman bites down on the cloth, nearly choking on it as she moans. You thrust slowly, trying to get her used to the feeling.

It takes a long time, and Lucy Gray feels like she’s being tortured from the slow in, out, in, out, in, out. It’s driving her mad at this point, so she pulls against her restraints, moaning against the feeling of restriction and bucks her hips repeatedly to set a faster pace. Lucy Gray’s neediness shows, and you decide to give in, a third finger joins your thrusts and your thumb circles her swollen clit.

Lucy Gray’s eyes roll back as she’s finally driven up the wall, she tightly grips the picnic blanket and cries out over and over. You wrap your free arm around your girlfriend’s waist to hold her still and go rougher, faster. The wet sounds of skin on skin and the filth frantically babbled from her lips are pleasure enough for you. “Good girl, cum for me.” You whisper in her ear, curling your fingers.

Lucy Gray tenses, finally coming undone on your fingers. Wetness drips on your hand and she limps against the blanket. You remove your hand, cleaning it off while Lucy Gray tries to catch her breath. You remove the gag and untie her so she can do so easier.

Lucy Gray moves with a slight groan, and lays her head on your lap, “That was…” she begins to speak, but doesn’t finish. “The best?” She nods to you and you play with her hair.

“I don’t think I can move my legs.”

“How tragic, you’re at my mercy.”

“Don’t even think about it Y/n.”

Note: sooo, technically this is my first written out smut, so take it easy on me, I’m workin on it :,) also uh, don’t know what id do exactly, but maybe part 2? Let me know if you guys want it. @lucygraysbabygirl

[logicpng]

i Believe i am finally done making references

edit: pasting the image descriptions out of the alt text. since they're refs they're really long I am so sorry

[First image ID:

Digital artwork of Aldebaran Aster - a humanoid being in a suit, four arms, and a star shaped head - standing next to a large program window titled: "Aster: Info". He is holding up the mouse pointer in one of his hands and laughing, with a smug smile.

The text in the window reads:

"Current module:

[Selected radio button] Rigel [Selected radio button] Vega [Glitchy text box] Name: Aldebaran :)

Pronouns:

[Checked tick box] He/him [Unchecked tick box] She/her [Checked tick box] They/them

Other: [Long empty text field]

Module description:

[Following text in a large text box:]

The result of an undocumented bug, never caught during development. Aldebaran, as he dubs himself, combines Rigel's love for putting on a show and Vega's scripting skills, and it shows in the artistic ways he bends the OS to his will.

Being a fusion of two AIs unable to cooperate, though, has the side effect of giving him a bad temper and lack of patience. Combining that with the rush of being in control of everything from GUI to the very kernel? Doesn't seem like a smart idea. Especially not when the laptop has experimental technology baked into it.

But hey, you've backed up before this, right...?

[Text box ends]

[Large lavender OK button]"

First Image ID end]

[Second Image ID:

Digital artwork of The User - a human with a gray-green skin, dark green hair with a white t-shirt, track suit shorts and green socks - standing next to a large program window titled: "User information". They are standing with a laptop bearing the CaelOS logo on its back, and scratching their head, looking a little nervous.

The text in the window reads:

"Base info:

Name: Urs Norma; Pronunciation: OO-rs NOR-mah; Age: 25

Pronouns:

[Checked tick box] He/him [Checked tick box] She/her [Checked tick box] They/them

Other: Any/All

Personality profile:

[Following text in a large text box:]

Young adult figuring out... being an adult.

After hastily finding a used tech store, they found a replacement for their busted laptop. As it turns out, the machine hosts an OS that never saw the light of day, featuring experimental technology. At least, it's compatible with most software they need...

Despite the world being cruel and unforgiving, the spark of optimism remains bright. Just like the AI the laptop hides, all they can do is perpetually learn from their mistakes, and maybe even relay some of that knowledge to the little virtual assistants they find themself talking to every day.

[Text box ends]

[Large green OK button]"

Second Image ID]

[Third Image ID:

Reference image of Urs Norma - an androgynous person with gray-green skin and dark green hair. A large program window titled "The User: Outfits" shows them standing neutrally, facing the camera, in three different outfits:

Home: Plain white shirt, track suit shorts, green socks.

Work (casual): Green hoodie that says "gorf" with a cat face on it in white, gray-purple pants, and black dress shoes. Left and right hand feature black and white rings on their respective middle fingers.

Work (formal): Pink dress shirt, slightly unbuttoned at the top, same pants, same dress shoes, and same rings.

Behind them is an outline of Aster, that has text in it saying "height comparison aster :)". At the top of their rays, they're noticeably shorter than Urs.

A window titled "Head", slightly overlapping the large window, shows lineart of the user's head in profile and from the back.

Third Image ID end]

[you-aremy-sunshine]

#5 - i hate your big dumb combat boots - b.b.

summary: you have met this man once in your life, at a bar after you passed out. and the second time you meet him it definitely is less pleasant. thankfully you never ever have to see him again. except now you are forced on a plane with him to the mediterranean because the tickets are non-refundable. fuck this.

pairing: bucky barnes x reader

word count: 1.3k

a/n: oh my lord. guys i am so sorry. everything just like slipped my mind. anyways enjoy!! join my taglist!

you got up from the breakfast table, “i’m gonna go change,” you angled your head towards the door of the bedroom, “also, bucky i have some activities planned for today, so you should too.”

he nodded, picking up his plate and utensils.

four bikini options were laid out in front of you. what am i going to wear? subconsiously, you wanted to look good for bucky, or any other hot guy that happened to pass by you. but mostly bucky.

your options consisted of the floral bikini you wore last time, a lavender colored one, a sage green bralette bikini, and a light blue triangle bikini with a tropical flower.

you chose the lavender triangle bikini, it fit pretty similar to the floral one. you felt confident in how you looked, your hair still a bit messy from sleep. you slashed some tap water on it and ran your fingers through it. on top of your bathing suit you threw on a cute little linen white skirt and a flowy tank. a bit of your mid section showed, enough to induce looks but still look casual.

you quickly did a light bit of beach makeup, sprayed a bit of perfume, grabbed your beach towel and got out of the room.

“bucky, the room’s free,” you called out, preoccupied with vila, kaiya and sol’s texts.

“yeah, ok.” he replied, drying off the last of the dishes.

you packed a bag for the both of you. towels, sunscreen, water, snacks and extra clothes were what was shoved into an insanely small beach bag.

“bucky, i need an extra change of clothes for you,” you called out to the room, “we’re probably gonna get dirty.”

he grunted in reply, walking out of the door in a matter of minutes. he sported a fitted black tee with those short ass swim trunks. you know the ones that show off a guy’s whole leg. the shorts displayed his muscular thighs, along with a tattoo of a snake biting a butterfly. he threw a ratty gray-blue towel over his sholder.

how come you never noticed this tattoo?

now at this point it was becoming noticeable to him that you were inspecting him, maybe even checking him out.

“why are you looking at me like that,” he turned to face you.

“i don’t know, i just never noticed your tattoos.” you glance shifted from his eyes to a new tattoo you spotted. it kind of looked like a quote, “the snake one is pretty cool.”

his face lit up, “thanks, i recently got these yin and yang koi fish on my arm.” he showed the inside of his arm. the tattoo itself was a little bit swollen and red but you probably couldn’t tell from afar.

you only had two tattoos, one emily dickinson quote on the inside of your wrist, and the second a simple line art of flowers and leaves down your spine.

“i saw another one on your other arm, what does it say?” you asked, not trying to probe.

“oh yeah! it’s an emily dickinson quote, my sister rebecca loved her poetry.” he said, a gentle smile lifting his rough features.

“no fucking way, i have an emily dickinson quote too,” you said, a bit excited that he had something in common.

“what quote is it?” he asked.

“unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality.” you recited, having the line already memorized.

“that one is one of my favorites, mine is ‘dying is a wild night and a new road’” he repeated off of his arm, “i forgot it was there for the longest time.” he said this with a bittersweet expression.

“i didn’t know that you had a sister,” you replied “yeah, i don’t know, i don’t usually talk about her a lot,” he said, his features fell gracefully, “she passed in a car accident a few years back.”

you rubbed the spot where your dickinson quote was, “i’m sorry,” you said, looking up at him. his moonstone eyes shifted uncomfortably.

“yeah she was the best,” he said softly, “but, anyways let’s get going. i don’t want to be late for whatever you have planned for us.”

he passed you his towel to put in the bag, then led the two of you out the door. you had ordered an Uber, so the driver was already waiting for you when you got to the street. it was a small car, so the two of you were kind of squshed together in the backseat.

many bumps and “sorry’s” later you arrived to kythnos. lyra helped you set this up as well as a few other tourist-y things to do for the rest of the week. you paid the driver before getting out.

you both stepped out of the car and admired the view. the mediterranean was breathtaking, especially here. it was clear, yet turquoise, practically begging for you to jump in.

“scuba diving! what do you think?” you turned to bucky, asking for his opinion.

“yes, this is amazing,” he said, his sunglasses already on, “thanks.”

you led bucky down to the shore where the instructor was about to start demonstrating how to put on the gear, etc.

let's pretend for this that you n buck have scuba licenses 🙏🙏

you took your shorts off and put on the gear. you set your clothes in the bag and placed it closer to land, so the bag would not get wet.

bucky put on his scuba gear too, and followed after you.

the boat was close to shore, tied to a pole farther to the entrance to the beach. you hopped in, bucky following after you. there were already a handful of people in the boat. three sisters, you assumed, were sitting next to each other, talking animatedly amongst them. one had light brown hair, another dark brown, and the other had pink and brown hair. you could tell they were speaking spanish. next to them were an older looking couple, the man had a salt and pepper beard and the lady had red hair with streaks of gray and white peeking through. they were talking too, but a bit more calm than the three sisters. the intructor from the shore started pushing the boat, and then hopped on. the boat engine started and the instructor began to tell the group about the islands, what fish there are, all things interesting.

you gazed out onto the water, the sky was a bit dull, but you checked the weather before and it said it was going to clear up.

the first stop to the diving trip was gorgeous, the water was turquoise and so clear. there were countless fish and sea animals.

the second stop was the same, but different fish, and the water went deeper, and the water was cooler.

the final stop was insane, there were statues almost but they were 50 ft underwater.

the tour ended around 3pm, the two of you eager to eat lunch.

you ate quickly at a street food place, and then walking back to the little bungalow.

“so…” you asked, “what did you think?”

“that was perfect in everyway,” he replied, “would relive again 10/10. but, now its my turn for a surprise trip.”

“oh god,” you sighed, “what does that mean…”

“not much, just a little dinner,” the two of you reached the door, “i found it online, and it seems like its perfect.”

“okay,” you had to put a little trust in him, after all he couldn’t be awful at planning.

--

hope u enjoyed! take a min to comment or reblog <3

[asha-mage]

edelgard and dimitri (platonic/siblings), reincarnation

[Send me a character (or ship) and a one word prompt and I will write you a small ficlet or drabble based on it!]

Edelgard glared at the papers spread out before her- trying to will the various reports, correspondences, and ledgers into some form she liked better. She felt old today- old and gray and worn out. There had been more days like that recently. Too many. They didn’t yet outnumber the days where she felt strong and able, passionate and fierce, but they were not negligible anymore either.

It was the price for what had been done to her she knew, when the Agarthans had forged her into a living weapon. That strength did not define her any longer- what defined her was what always had: her will, her determination, her refusal to surrender onto uncertain fate. But the price still had to be paid.

Sighing Edelgard pulled the next stack to her- trade reports out of Gronder Field. There was a problem with the sugar crop- some blight on the cane stalks that would need to be dealt with if she wanted to keep sugar prices from skyrocketing- and she would need to review the wheat taxes again if she wanted to keep Fodlan grain competitive with Almyran. But before she could do more then begin examining the top sheet there was a knock at her study door.

Edelgard looked up and smiled at who she saw standing there. As always something about August, about the tilt of his eyes maybe, or the shy corner of his smile, made Edelgard’s throat catch a little bit. It wasn’t the joy of a parent seeing themselves in their child- Edelgard knew that feeling well with August and knew this emotion to be something else. This was something sharper, something edged in glass as it rattled around her ribcage.

“Good morning Augie.” Edelgard said, setting down the sheet on the pile. “What can I do for you?”

August chewed at his lip for a moment before coming fully into her study. He was almost twelve now, and his mop of black curls had grown enough to hang down almost over his eyes. He had unfortunately inherited his father’s complexion on top of it and some of his reserved manner, creating an effect that most the court regarded as cringing and shy. But Edelgard knew better. She knew that if she pushed back his unruly bangs and reminded him to stand straighter, he would. At age ten there was already there was already a fierce light in this lavender eyes, and when he forgot himself enough to find confidence, a air of command and strength that would serve him well one day.

Of all the miracles that had come from forging a real peace in Fodlan, August had been the most unexpected, and the most beloved.

But at this moment he was more unsure than she had ever seen him before. He plucked at the hem of his coat as if hot, and he refused to meet her eyes as he settled in the chair before her desk. Edelgard felt her guard rise and she sat back in her chair, squaring her shoulders more out of old habit then real thought their might be need.

“Augie.” Edelgard tried again, letting the lightness slip from her voice in favor of seirouness. “What is wrong?”

“I don’t know how too….” August began then cut off. For a moment he seemed unable to go on, words failing him, but then all in a rush he said, to fast for her to understand, one word spilling into the next. “Whatwasuncledimitrilike?”

Before she could begin to sort through it he began to breath heavily, one hand going to his chest and Edelgard felt panic flare in her. Their had been so much worry during his infancy and childhood- what the experiments done to Edelgard might mean for a child. Their had been some doubt he would even last a year, and though he was heart and hale now, some fears never left a mother’s mind once allowed in.

He began to speak again, gesturing wildly, but it was to fast for her to understand, and she thought their was a wildness in whatever he was trying to communicate.

“Augie! Slow down! Breathe.” Edelgard said, cutting across him and trying to hide how bewildered she was. She stood and moved to the small drink cart she kept in her office for entertaining dignitaries and officials, pouring out a glass of water and handing it to Augie. “I need you to breath.”

August took the water with shaking hands and gulped it down in a single great swallow that made Edelgard’s eyebrows rise higher. For a moment she considered summoning Hubert, but decided against it the next second. Hubert loved his son, but Edelgard did not think he could help much in this situation.

When August had managed a few steadying breaths Edelgard rested a hand on his shoulder and moved to sit beside him in one of the plush chairs arrayed before her desk. It was a small thing, but maybe it would help him see her as a mother, a source of comfort, rather than the all powerful Emperor in this moment. “Augie.” She said firm but not unkind. “Please, try again.”

August turned his gaze to the bottom of the glass and when he spoke it was in little more than a whisper, but Edelgard’s ears were sharp enough to catch each word on their own this time. But understanding the words shed no clarity on anything.

“What was Uncle Dimitri like?”

For a long moment Edelgard stared down at August trying to understand, to wrap her head around where this had come from, and how it connected to this fear, raw as an open nerve. But in the end all she could do was answer the question.

“He was kind.” Edelgard said simply. It was the truth- or as much of the truth as mattered to her. She chose to remember Dimitri as the sweet boy with the idealistic naivety, who had stumbled trying to learn to dance. Not as the Maelstrom King, the cold blooded tyrant Rhea had forged him into. “Gentle hearted. Fair minded He never paid any mind to station or birth or blood.” She smiled, and if there was a note of bitterness to it, it was only for the circumstances that had drawn them into conflict. She shook free and turned her gaze back to August, trying not to frown. “Why do you ask?”

August looked up from his glass, but instead of looking at her or answering her question, his eyes had found their way to her desk. He was gazing at the various things on it: a collection of ivory miniatures, one for each of the Black Eagle Strikeforce, a few lacquered boxes containing writing instruments and keepsakes. The hateful stacks of paper of course. Other Knick Knacks that had been gifted to her by various important officials and diplomats and that property demanded she display as a gesture of good will. Nothing to account for his interest- just a way to avoid meeting her gaze.

“Why did he oppose you then?” August asked quietly. “If he was so eagletarian? If he didn’t believe in class and wanted to treat everyone fairly?”

Edelgard blew out a breath. “Many reasons. Duty to begin with.” Duty to the ghosts and atrocities of the past, for which she could never blame him, even if she didn’t understand. “Loyalty to the Church.” That time there was no doubting the bitterness that slipped into her voice. There was much Edelgard could never forgive Rhea for, but maybe most of all what she had done with Dimitri’s kind heart and loyal soul. “But mostly…I think it was the belief that he had no other choice. That the future that we were fighting for was an idealistic fairy tale- and that his kingdom would not survive its coming.”

Again August fell into silence, staring at her desk. His eyes had locked onto one of the keepsake boxes, plain dark wood carved with flames. “….But you still call him brother. You still raised me to call him Uncle, and memorialized him in Faerghus.” August said quietly. “Even though he opposed you.”

Edelgard sighed. “I loved him, August. He was my brother. If I could have brought him over to our side, found a way to free Fodlan and keep him alive, I would have.”

August stood and moved forward. She didn’t call him down for the rudeness- not here and now. Something was strange about this, something delicate held within these words that she didn’t yet understand. He moved to her desk and laid a hand on the keepsake box. It held gifts from her former teachers. A fishing lure from Byleth, a painted fan from Mannuela, and an invention of Hannerman’s- all given to her in thanks for the funding she had provided for rebuilding the Officer’s Academy.

“But you did what you had to.” August said, his voice quiet and more afraid than Edelgard had ever heard it. “To protect the realm.”

Edelgard nodded. “I always will. That is the core of me. I…” It was her turn to look away. A hot burning had filled her throat, acid and sour. “I had to make a more just, more kind world in August.”

For the sake of the girl who had died in a cell beneath this very palace. Died screaming after watching all her siblings face the same fate. But unlike her siblings, that girl had been reborn, remade into something more- something fanged and cold and vicious. And for her suffering to have meaning, that girl’s pain to matter, she had to destroy the world that had made it possible. To free humankind from all those that would chain it. Nothing else would honor her.

August’s hand rested on the lid of the keepsake box and he took a deep shaking breath. “Mother I….” And again words seemed to fail him, his teeth biting into his lip hard enough to leave red marks in the flesh. Edelgard stood, to reassure him, to comfort him- to tell him those days were over and the world was free, and nothing would ever threaten him. But before she could her son spoke. “I’ve been having dreams.”

Edelgard blinked. “Dreams?” She repeated.

August nodded. “I...I've been dreaming of a field.” He said, his voice quiet and harsh. “Soaked in the rain. Long grassy hills made muddy and slippery by a downpour.” He turned his gaze down to his hand. “When I dream...there are three armies on that field.”

Alarm shot through Edelgard like a wildfire. But now that August had begun it seemed he had no idea how to stop. The words were falling from him in wave after wave.

“I’m marching across that field holding a spear of bone.” He lifted one hand and flexed his fingers as if able to feel its heft, its weight there. “And all around me are friends, allies, followers, subjects and ...and they're turning into monsters. Their flesh is warping before my eyes. Their screaming and snarling and becoming...beasts. Huge four legged lizards and twisted up masked brutes and…” He inhaled and his whole body shook. “And then their getting cut down, by….”

Edelgard didn’t need him to continue. She was there herself all over again. On the field where so many had died caked in mud and splattered with gore- their own and their enemy’s alike.

Rain is running down her face and her ax is flashing in her hands as she chops through the Umbral Beasts that stand between her and the Kingdom’s center line. All around her the Black Eagle Strikeforce is arrayed. The Church’s army is already retreating northwards, being harried by wyvern riders led by Petra, to keep them from circling back. The Empire need only break the Kingdom’s line to win the day and clear the path to Fhirdiad.

She is cold. Focused. Razor sharp, the way she always is in battle. If they do this, they're going to win. She will pull down the false Goddess, and she will burn out Those Who Sslither in the Dark and the world will be free. She will make it so with her own two hands, and with the aid of those who had stood by her, she would-

And then she sees him, coming towards her, Areadbhar twirling his hands as he slices through Imperial soldiers left and right, his blonde hair splattered back from his head by the rain, his blue eyes burning with fire, and with the glow of the Crest of Blaiddyd. Something inside of her aches at the sight of him, her brother, but she steals her heart. Hardens it to stone. She knows what must be done.

Their eyes meet and the hatred burning in him is alien and twisted. The innocent boy who had tried to give her a dagger was nothing but ashes. Only the Maelstrom King remained.

He bares his lance at her, point first, and she raises her ax and-

Edelgard was drawn out of her memory by the sound of the box opening. Her son had reached inside to pull out Hannerman’s invention- a miniature version of the instrument he had developed to detect Crests. Instead of a bulky array of metal and crystal, it’s no bigger then a compass: a simple glass orb held in metal circles. He had developed even smaller ones in the time since, Edelgard understood. It’s a novelty really, a token of his early research.

“August-“ Edelgard said, shaking herself. He flinched at the use of his full name but she pressed on ahead. “It doesn't mean anything. It’s just dreams. You’ve just been listening to too many history-“

But August shook his head. “I….I know things mother. That no history ever talks about. You hit him on the shoulder first, didn’t you? Here.” With his free hand he touches his shoulder, right above the joint, where it connects his body to his neck. Edelgard had- the first blow would have taken his head, if not cleaved him in half, had he not managed to dodge at just the right moment. She had managed only to draw blood instead. “He countered by spinning, then three quick stabs and-“

Edelgard shook her head. It was true, all of it, but that didn’t mean- “August. You're dreaming of the past then that’s all. This is some magic at work. Some part of…” Of being born of the Argathan’s Hegemon. Their new Nemesis. That was all. Lindhardt or Lystheia would be able to find an explanation, maybe a cure.

“I thought so too. I…I hoped so. But then I, this morning I-” He took a final deep breath and then switched on the device. She waited for the symbol of the Crest of Flames to appear, as it would have for Edelgard or Byleth. Or even the Crest of Seiros, that strange shield lighting up the darkness. Instead it glowed a soft, gentle blue as the strange fissured crystal of the Crest of Blaiddyd appeared on the metal orb instead.

For a while they both just stared at it, even as the light began to fade, the crystal orb blinking out to clear again. They both seemed to hold their breath. Waiting for what came next.

Edelgard looked at her son. Dark haired and pale but with her lavender eyes, and sharp jaw and courtly demeanor. And again that feeling, that glass edged thing rattling around her rib cage, made itself known. Only now she could put a name to it. Draw the line between the crinkle of his eyes, and the gentle swell of his laugh, and the shy tilt of his smile, and the boy she had once taught to dance in the gardens of the Royal Palace at Fhirdiad.

A thousand questions ran through her mind, a thousand fears and doubts- A mother’s fear for something unknown and possibly dangerous clawing at her child. A girl’s fear of long buried pain being exhumed into the light of day, with all its rank unfair decay. And yes, an Emperor’s fear, for what this might mean for the realm, for the future, for the peace she had labored so hard to make. It was a part of her, and there was no use in denying it. 

But it was not the only part of her, and here and now, in this place, it was not the strongest.

She stood and August flinched back as if expecting an attack, but Edelgard instead gently took him into her arms, folding her son into the circle of her strength. She thought of Dimitri in that moment, of all the ways she wished she could have protected him, shielded him, seen him flourish as she knew he could.

If only we were born in a time of peace, you might have lived a joyful life, as a benevolent ruler.

How often had she thought of those words, when long nights and exhaustion had dragged her back to that field, that battle, that moment? She had meant them. She still did.

“Ssshhhh.” Edelgard murmured as her son’s arms tightened around her middle and his tears started to fall. How long had this burden been weighing on him? A slowly steadily growing weight in his mind, that had finally become too heavy to bear? It didn’t matter. HE had come to her- maybe believing the worst, maybe hoping for it. But he would find none of that. They lived in a time of peace, a world set free from the sorrows that had destroyed him before. She didn’t know how or why this had happened. And she did not care. “I’m right here Augie. I’m right here.”

You are not alone this time Dima. This time, I am strong enough to protect us both.        

And she would, no matter what.

[spacedoutman]

Never too young to die | Oc X Velvet von Ragnar (Part 1)

Penny. The disappearance of the love of her life never stopped haunting top-secret agent Helena “Leni” Hé. What happens when the ghost of her past comes back to not only haunt her, but put everything Leni had ever fought for on the line? What happens when that ghost is the psychopathic Velvet von Ragnar?

Can she stop herself from falling for her again?

Gonna start posting parts here after arguing with people on Facebook.

Warnings: Dark subjects such as abuse, addiction and mental health struggles.

Where would that girl end up? Hopefully, whatever happened, it would be the best it could possibly be. Leni’s mind whisked her away like a hurricane. Penny. Maybe her name would change at some point, right? Maybe, she’d wind up in a prestigious college and move on to never worry about anything again.

Maybe, hopefully, she could use dollar bills as makeup wipes and reassure Leni there was a lot more in the bank and that there was nothing to worry about.

Click. The door pulled Leni’s hand like it was its life mission to slam. Leni fought a war to ease it shut. She locked it. Her heart almost burst from her chest like a bullet. Of course, she had no problem with that. Penny didn’t look like a penny. Leni turned around. There was no way in hell she looked like a Penny.

The dim overhead light touched her features, reflecting her dull eyes and dying her smokey eye-shadow brown. Her white teeth shone between her full lips as a hazy grin ran across them, emphasizing her smile lines. What would her eyes look like if they smiled too? Penny looked more like a Theodora, Evangeline or Maria. If she were a Theodora, her nickname would be Theda.

She looked nothing like Theda Bara. Hell, she should’ve been standing in the driveway of a gilded mansion though, not some dumpy gas station bathroom. Penny’s features were far softer than even Leni’s warm gaze. She’d definitely look stunning in some of Theda’s outfits, that was for sure. Maybe she moved like Theda too. Quiet humming took over. Leni’s heart still rushed with adrenaline.

Penny somehow looked exhausted. Leni cupped her face and pulled her over. Her lips against Penny’s was what heaven was. The smell of lavender conquered the slight hint of mold.

Penny melted into her. Leni grasped her shoulders and pulled her in more. Closer was written all over Leni’s mind. Fire raged in their kiss. Leni’s hands raced through Penny’s curly jet hair. Penny’s arms hung loosely around her neck. Time stopped. Mint overwhelmed Leni’s taste buds in the best way possible. Leni would never pull-

Penny pulled away. Leni cupped her face. Penny’s eyes hung half-shut as she gazed through her thick lashes. Her brows drew together slightly and her lips rested parted. She was drunk on her presence. Leni’s head spun enough to erase the stained up white-ish and brown walls. A soft grin spread across her face. “I just wanted to let you know how beautiful you are.”

Penny looked down for a moment. “I had my eye one of those blue sparkly cars outside.“ Penny said a bit absentmindedly. “You know, those fancy ones?”

“Is that your way of telling me you love me?” Leni teased, Penny gave an airy giggle.

“We’ll definitely get married next then.”

Married. That word sent a slew of happy memories through Leni’s head. Like, running her hands through Penny’s hair even when it grayed, or taking her sweet little honeysuckle to any city she even mentioned. Penny blinked long and slow. Leni couldn’t wipe away her grin. “But wait.” Penny’s eyes widened a bit. She looked down and to the side, her brows pressing down.

“No way. If we did, everyone would be able to tell we were a couple. Our names sound too alike.” She mumbled as if it were the second coming of Jesus (or third).

Leni giggled. She tilted Penny’s chin up. Penny looked up at her, her smile faded by now. “That doesn’t matter.” Leni shrugged. “If we went somewhere far away from here, it wouldn’t even matter. Plenty of Pennies and Lenis hang out all the time.”

“That’s true, Helena, but wouldn’t it raise a lot of suspicion?”

“Just as much suspicion as us being in this bathroom together.” Leni replied, matter of factly but still playfully. “The way I look at you has probably given us away.”

Penny looked down with a little smile. Leni’s hand slid, stopping at her upper arm. Penny leaned into her touch. “Every time I look at you, I hear an angel’s chorus.”

“I can say the same for you.” Penny looked up at her. “What would we do after we got married?”

“What married couples normally do.” Leni joked. “But the rest? We’ll figure it out.”

“Take it day by day.”

“Yeah...” Leni reassured in a dreamy sigh.

Penny rested her hands on the rim of the bathroom sink and sat down. Leni looked up at her. Penny sighed, looking away at nothing. Her pupils unfocused. “There’s not enough room for me.” Leni said playfully. Penny scooted—Leni moved her right back, eyes still wide. “Don’t hurt yourself!” Penny burst into chuckles before looking up at the ceiling and sitting against the mirror.

“I’ll never have to visit another art museum, I can tell you that for sure.” Leni said with delight, stepping beside her and sweeping up her hand (carefully).

Penny looked down at her before bursting into chuckles. Music to Leni’s ears. Leni joined her gladly. “I don’t think anyone’s going to notice our absence.” She shrugged. “We could stay here all night.”

“Does anyone really come in here?” Asked the concerned Penny.

“Drew probably would.” Leni joked. If Penny were drinking something, she would’ve spit it out.

Penny smiled and raised an eyebrow as if she were reprimanding her. Leni rested a hand on her jaw, caressing her cheek with her thumb. “Don’t you have curfew?-” “Curfew my ass.” Leni scoffed. “I’m twenty something and still crashing on mom’s couch.” Leni’s eyes widened a bit. “Oh,--speaking of!”

Penny leaned close. Leni laid the tip of her pointer finger on her chest and pushed her back gently. “Wait.” Leni cooed. “Better yet, close your eyes and give me your hands.” Penny looked away and closed her eyes. She raised her hands. Leni opened her palms and reached into her oversized leather jacket. Penny shrunk a bit.

“Are you getting me a lighter?” Penny huffed, trying to pull a hand away.

“Even better. Cigarettes for days.”

Shiny pearls clicked as Leni laid a what, two or three-hundred year old necklace?, in Penny’s palms. She closed her hands carefully and eased them against her chest. “That feels weird.” Penny whispered humorously… but maybe a little awkwardly.

“Open your eyes.”

Penny looked down. Her jaw could’ve hit the floor as she gasped. “I don’t believe it! You know how much your mother values this thing-”

“I know.” Leni assured, anger sprinkled into her calm voice. “She’ll grieve more than if I got into some freak accident. But as this point, I think she deserves it.”

Leni waited for some optimism to leave Penny. Penny held the necklace close to her chest. She closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath of the crisp air. “Well, if some freak accident happens, you can count on me to hold it dear.” Penny said in a honey-drenched voice, quiet enough to be a whisper.

“You know if you sell it, you can get a place out of here.” Leni said quickly.

Penny held it tighter. “You won’t ever have to worry about any of those pricks again.” She grew assertive. Her chest tightened. “Not only that, you can get your ass to college and-”

“Leni.” Penny’s little voice rained on the flame. “Everything’s okay.”

Leni’s expression softened. “You’re right.” She bit her lip. “It is okay.” Penny leaned in. Leni cupped her face. She glanced at the necklace which shone like stars in the light. Penny clutched it tightly, yet her hands were as gentle as a dove’s wings. Leni’s shoulders drooped. She looked away for a moment before composing herself.

She rubbed Penny’s cheek with her thumb. Penny closed her eyes, savoring her touch. Leni leaned in, planting a little kiss on her nose. Her thumb hit something rough. Leni forced herself to look. A couple band-aids clung to Penny’s cheek. Only two showed themselves. The rest were hidden under Penny’s sweater. At least there weren’t as many as typical.

Hopefully, there wouldn’t be as many bruises this time either. Leni felt as dizzy as she would if she spun. She closed her eyes before-

Leni yanked the glass off the nightstand. Her lungs collapsed as she heaved for air. Her hands shook like mad as she raised the glass to her mouth. Her gasps echoed like her head was a chamber. She chugged. The water failed to help her dry throat. The glass slipped from her hand, crashing against her leg then rolling off and onto the bed.

Darkness touched the pretty neat room, melting it all into an ugly blur.

Where did that girl end up? She could still see Penny as well as she could a picture. Leni rested a hand on her chest, slowing her breathing and closing her eyes. She laid her head back. It was just as easy to remember her trembling hands as she sat on the sofa of that old trailer, waiting for the effects of whatever her mother took to sweep away her grief.

Leni wiped the tears from her eyes. Another deep breath. She’d be lying if she denied feeling a leftover bit of that dread every time one of those blasted memories rolled around. She climbed out of bed. The thick blankets rolled off her. She pulled herself over to the window, taking the dramatic curtains and sweeping them open.

Golden lights shone like stars as they lined the yard. The pool water shone deep blue, touching the cobblestone pavement around it. The moonlight clung to the neatly placed pool chairs, reflecting off the silver grills and shining through the umbrellas that shielded the spotless glass tables. Lush rose bushes watched behind the white picket fences. She breathed deeply, swearing she could smell them from here.

Penny would smile. Why was she still thinking about Penny-

“Mom?”

Leni lowered the magazine. The sun beat down angrily. She looked up at Cliff through her sunglasses and smiled happily. Neon green and purple pool noodles were stuffed under his arms. “I’m going to do something crazy.” He said, bursting with confidence. Leni grinned widely and nodded.

“You know what?”

“What?”

Leni rested an arm on the arm of the pool chair and shut the magazine. “Don’t forget the propeller you were building.” She said playfully. “I think it’s in the garage.” He nodded as if he were taking notes.

“Alright, see you, mom!”

“See you, Cliff. Good luck!”

Cliff gave a rushed nod and scampered off. Leni opened the magazine and looked down. She couldn’t get the grin off her face. Helena “Leni” Hé had seen more than her fair share of things as a top-secret agent. But she’d won in life. She’d succeeded. She had her son, her mansion and hella cash. So why was the memory of Penny, the girl that disappeared all those years ago, still haunting her?

[phoenixyfriend]

Rex and Anakin Raise a Family: Part Three

Part One, Part Two -- Chrono

---------------

The house they’ve acquired has two bedrooms. They only use one.

(There’d been panic, that first night, waking up alone. He’d shaken and gasped and felt his heart beat out of his chest, unable to move until something gave. Nothing did.)

(The General had felt it, had woken up from Rex’s own panic and rushed in to remind him that he still had someone left, and Rex had snapped out of his fear and into his grief.)

(He’d bottled it back up by morning, but they didn’t sleep apart anymore.)

The bed is big enough for two people to sleep apart, if with an unfortunate tendency to smack hands across faces in one’s sleep. There’s room on the floor for the crib, and a desk in the corner that neither of them have used yet. The armoire that the house came with is beautifully crafted, but empty save for Anakin’s outer robe. What little they’ve bought so far has been for the twins, and that’s all sorted with military precision into the drawer chest.

It’s nearly first light when one of the twins start fussing. Rex had been ready to wake up anyway, and rolls out of bed before Anakin can fully come out of drowsing. He makes his way over to the shared crib, finds that it’s Leia making noise, and picks her up.

“Buir’s got you,” he mutters, carefully bouncing her as he makes his way back to the bed. He hopes, however futile it may be, that Luke won’t hear her across the room.

“Rex?” Anakin mutters, fighting his way awake.

“Go back to sleep, General, I’ve got this,” Rex tells him.

Anakin ignores him, which is patently unsurprising. The man leverages himself up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “Give ‘er here.”

“General, I’ve got it,” Rex insists. “Go back to sleep.”

His general scoots back to lean against the headboard and starts tugging open his sleep shirt. “It’s been a week, Captain.”

Oh. That.

...his chest does look swollen. Rex hesitates to call them anything approaching ‘breasts,’ especially since Anakin had confirmed that he still identified as undeniably male, but there’s definitely some bulge there that wasn’t before. It’s not quite enough for the nipple to point down the way Rex is pretty sure most breastfeeding mothers’ do, but there’s something.

Rex hesitates. “Do you feel... uh, full?”

Anakin smiles, bags under his eyes. He reaches out for his daughter. “Enough to give it a try.”

When Leia is in his arms, Anakin carefully guides her little head to where she can latch on to one side. It’s a little awkward, given the aforementioned lack of heft making it point out instead of down, but she gets the hang of it after a few seconds. Anakin makes a face once the suckling starts in earnest, but rubs at Leia’s head and mutters encouragement at her nonetheless.

“Feels weird?” Rex asks, shifting back until he can lean against the headboard as well, shoulder to shoulder with his general.

“Yeah, kinda,” Anakin says. “Good weird, though. Like I’m doing something right.”

“The pamphlet mentioned that breastfeeding usually releases hormones in both the parent and child to encourage connection, right?” Rex paraphrases. “Maybe that’s it.”

“Yeah,” Anakin says.

Rex watches the man start to smile softly, an expression that’s been damned rare since this whole mess started. He’s happy for his general to find happiness in his children, if nothing else.

“You called yourself buir,” Anakin says softly, adjusting Leia a little as she hits at his chest a little. “Good.”

“You said I was family for them,” Rex says. He reaches out and brushes a finger over Leia’s cheek. He can’t help his little smile anymore than Anakin could. “So, yeah, I’m going to encourage that.”

There’s little noises coming from the crib again, soon after. Rex gets up and fetches Luke, whispers nonsense comfort at him until he gets back in the bed, and then glances at Anakin’s chest with doubt. The meaning is clear enough.

“Leia’s almost done, and they’re small,” Anakin assures him. “I can hold both. They’ll probably need a bottle later, though.”

“Not enough production capacity?”

“I’ve got twins, Rex.”

They get Luke settled easily enough, and then a few minutes later, Leia’s done.

Anakin doesn’t pass her back over immediately, just stares down, unfocused and silent.

“Sir?”

Anakin doesn’t budge.

Rex hopes this is just Force osik again. He puts a hand on Anakin’s shoulder and squeezes.

The man inhales sharply, eyes watering. “Oh.”

“General.”

“I--a vision. I don’t usually get them when I’m awake, and--oh, honey, you are going to look so much like your mother,” Anakin whispers, staring at Leia with teary adoration. “You’re going to be lovely as the stars and twice as dangerous, yes you are.”

Good things, then. They’ve had too much bad news for Rex to take this as anything other than a positive. He reaches out with both hands, and Anakin reluctantly hands a baby over.

“Hello, sweetheart,” Rex tells her, and feels Anakin hitch a wet laugh next to him. “Do you think we should let your Papa rest? I do. Let’s get you dressed for the day while he finishes up with your brother.”

“Papa?” Anakin asks wryly, adjusting Luke in his arms.

“Easier for them to say the first few years, and I liked the way it sounded when you said it a few days ago,” Rex says, shifting to his feet. “That or ‘Daddy,’ but I figured she looks like the type to say Papa.”

“Hm,” Anakin says, his eyes far away. “I guess there wasn’t... I didn’t spend much time in the creche, and nobody was really calling anyone a father.”

“Tubies,” Rex says, but doesn’t elaborate. He focuses on changing Leia into a lavender onesie, and how she glares up at him as fiercely as a rancor. Here and now, trooper. There’s lives counting on you.

“You want to change Luke while I handle breakfast?” Anakin asks, coming up behind him on too-quiet feet.

“Sounds like a plan, sir,” Rex says. He feels a hand on his elbow, and turns a shade.

“I’m stable, now,” Anakin says, quiet and guilty. “I can handle the twins for the day. Mourn your brothers, Captain.”

“I’m...” he isn’t sure how. “We need to figure out money, how we’re going to support--”

“Rex,” Anakin says, stepping closer and looking down with eyes that are just as emotionally exhausted as Rex feels. “Please. You handled things while I was out of it, so just... let me return the favor. I’m not going to break today. Let yourself have a moment.”

“I can’t, sir.”

“I could make it an order,” Anakin says quietly. “If... if that would help.”

Rex’s eyes stay fixed on his hands, still and unseeing.

“I need to repaint my armor,” he says, because it’s all he can. “But I don’t have paint.”

“What color do you need?” Anakin asks.

“Grey,” he says. “Black.”

He brushes the backs of his knuckles on Leia’s cheeks. “I’ll... keep some of the blue and white.”

The plastoid would get him laughed out of any Mandalorian bar, even now before the clone armies are a twinkle in anyone’s eye, but it’s his. And he needs to have it mean something more than just his legion. The 501st doesn’t even exist, so the colors only mean what the Mandalorians say, and--and what meaning Rex gives them.

He’s not even Mando’ade, not really.

“Rex?”

“Would you be willing to go into town with me?” Rex asks, his voice catching and cracking on the words. “When I buy the paint.”

“Of course,” Anakin says. “Do you want to go today?”

“I... yeah. That would be nice.”

“Then we’ll go today. After breakfast.”

---------------

Armor colors and meanings for Mandalorians, per Wookiepedia: Gray=Mourning a Lost Love (which I am interpreting as including non-romantic love) Black=Justice Blue=Reliability White= A New Start

[headgehug]

my little “i want you back” fashion review (part one)

part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | part six | part seven

reviewing every outfit worn by the main six characters in I Want You Back.

It’s a cute dress! I would wear it to work, she would wear it to break up with her sweet little boyfriend, it’s great how everyone’s fashion sense is so unique!

Honestly you can’t go wrong with a classic, earth-toned sweater and slacks combo. This sweater is exceptionally versatile– pair it with a simple brown jacket to wear outside, or wear it on its own to break out into tears during a round of “Happy Birthday.”

While I love the baby blue plaid and simple white long-sleeve pairing, it’s not exactly what you might want to wear to a romantic brunch. Or even a break-up brunch. Emma got the memo though– a gorgeous, lavender-tinted gray sweater, prince-of-wales patterned coat, adorable heart-shaped necklace (a locket, maybe?!) and jeans to dress it all down. Have a heart, Noah… she was too cute to get dumped right then.

First off, Anne may dress like your stereotypical English teacher, but I am such a huge fan of her outfit (does that say something about me? hm). And Peter’s sweater game is once again perfect– something light and soft to not take the attention away from the birthday girl, but still classy enough to look put together for when you’re interrupting an important lecture.

Yes, just yes. I know in my heart he’s only got boxers on below that depression-drinking shirt, and that he has never, ever just worn his boxers around the house like that before. I mean, why bother anymore?

Noah’s outfit is fine, it’s boring, that’s good. Emma, girl, what? It’s like she took an old highschool track hoodie, cut the sleeves off, kept the wristbands, and put those back on to finish the look off. It’s bad, just… bad.

I love the texture on Anne’s sweater! That green jacket on Peter looks very cozy, white sneakers match just about anything too. Anyone else thinking about how scuffed up their front door must have been after this though…

This is a “oh god, the movers are coming today and I haven’t done laundry yet because we bought the detergent together and it makes me cry, let me just throw a plaid shirt over the white tee I slept in” look if I’ve ever seen one.

Complementary outfits are always a hit!

That is Noah’s robe for sure. This look isn't glamorous but it does the trick.

[bunny-witch-bitch]

What is this feeling again?

Word count: 748 words

(If you like it please reblog it)

She stood outside the entrance of her school, fidgeting and nervous. They’ve known each other since they were three. She’s liked Nathaniel ever since they both turned ten. 

She knew his favorite foods, his love of classical music, and even his fear of bugs.She could write essays on all of his freckles, his stormy gray eyes, the way that his hair swept to the side…She knew everything about him. So when she asked him to meet her at the front of the school and he seemed equally fidgety, she was overjoyed. 

His eyes shifted to the floor and he played with his hands. “I have something to tell you too…”

She spent all of the night before preparing for today. She watched plenty of makeup tutorials, videos on how to look cuter in front of guys, and how to make you sound more feminine while laughing. She practiced facial expressions and on-cue blushing for when she wanted to seem adorable. She went out and bought an emerald green sweater to go with her cream colored skirt. Green was his favorite color and she wanted him to associate it with her.

She bought cinnamon apple perfume. He loved apple pie. She didn’t care for the smell, but the only thing that mattered to her was that he thought she was beautiful. 

Her sister had helped her do her makeup. Showing her what each thing did, how to properly match her skin tone, what colors complemented her the most.

On her way to school she had bought a custom bouquet of sunflowers, complete with little flourishes of lavender. It was his favorite color combination. He loved the way sunflowers looked too, so it was going to be perfect.

She sat down on a bench while she waited. Going over her confession in her head for the tenth time in the last hour. He was going to be here any minute now…

She sprang from the bench. He was finally here. God did he look beautiful…his usually messy hair was combed, he was wearing a baby blue button up, which perfectly complimented his skin tone. There was a light dust of pink on his cheeks. Her heart sang. He was nervous too! 

He waved with one hand, playing with his bangs in the other. “Uhm…hey. Y- you wanted to…uh- tell me something?”

Her face flushed. She took a deep breath and held out his flowers and gummy bears (his favorite candy). This was it. This was her time. She looked down at the floor and began. 

“Nate…we’ve known eachother for a really long time now and-“ She paused, gathering her courage. 

“And I really really like you…as more than a best friend. I like you romantically…” She lowered her head, holding up her presents higher. 

“So would you please maybe go out with me?” Her words were rushed, but they got the message across.

His eyes widened. He wasn’t expecting this at all. When she peeked back up to look at him she saw all the color had drained from his face. 

A girl…no, girl didn’t do her justice. A woman with silky blonde hair, crystalline blue eyes, and fair, pale skin walked up. So unlike Christine’s rich brown skin, her mop of curly hair, and her dark brown eyes. This woman walked up and wrapped her arms around his neck before kissing him on the cheek. 

Oh

Her voice was pouty and playful, cute and precious as she spoke to him. “Baby~? Did you tell your bestie we’re a thing yet? I know you wanted to tell her first but I’m so excited I can’t waitttt.” 

Oh.

His face flushed. He sounded quieter than he usually was. His voice was incredibly soft. He spoke to the other girl in a way that was unknown to Christine. She had never heard him speak like this to her, so why this girl?

“One moment darling…I haven’t had a chance yet…” 

Oh. 

Christine stood silently. She didn’t hear a word he was saying. She saw his mouth moving but her vision was going blurry. She reached up to get pollen out of her eye. 

Why was there water on her fingers? She dropped her flowers. She dropped the gummy bears. And she turned around, muttering an excuse before sprinting away. Sparkling drops of salty tears flying out behind her.

Oh.

It was in that moment that Nathaniel saw how beautiful she really was. 

But by then it had been far too late.

[dragonshost]

Soray/Angeray and ice cream? (I know it's technically two words but it's all I can think of rn lol)

I can't stop laughing you asked me this exact prompt and pairing three years ago!! Here is the link to it. Don't worry, I wrote you a follow up for making me smile.

He never learned, did he? Or at the very least, he needed to figure out how to say no. Because here Gray was, yet again, stuck at the ice cream stand in the sweltering heat.

Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as before. Well... in some respects. This time he had more customers, as he had managed to keep all of his clothes on thus far and managed to avoid looking like a pervert. Mostly. Every once in a while he got a strange look from a customer, in particular one woman that had wrapped an arm around her kid and hastily retreated with their ice cream. Gray wasn't sure what had made her do that - he'd even checked with her that he was still wearing clothes! A mystery.

The clothes came with their set of problems though. His underwear, to be exact. They were chafing something fierce. The additional weight of the clothes had only made him sweat more, which had completely soaked through his boxers some time ago. Why hadn't he worn swim trunks? Those at least chafed... a little less.

At least the day would end soon. The sun was starting to sink, and as soon as it disappeared completely then the park would close and so would the stand. Then he could go home and mercifully escape both his boxers and the heat. He was literally itching to be free.

Gray's poor decision making skills aside... he was a little disappointed that he hadn't seen one particular customer at all that day. It wasn't as if he was hoping for a repeat of their last encounter, exactly. After all, that would mean that he had once more failed to comply with basic food hygiene standards. Especially as, once she'd left, he'd been questioned by park police about his public indecency. Over the years he had grown a pretty thick skin about people seeing him in the nude, but every once it a while the embarrassment would blindside him just as hard as it had when he was younger. This had been one of those times, unfortunately.

Wanting to see Sorano again wasn't weird, he told himself. He had things to ask her; the fact that a wanted criminal was out and about like it was nothing, had she continued to use her angel magic after all, was she doing well, had she liked the ice cream...

Maybe he just wanted a do-over on the impression he'd made. A thought he was not going to analyze further, as he was not Lucy.

Finally, the sun vanished, warm rays of gold and orange slipping into lavender and dark blue. Gray dutifully because to close up the shop, cleaning the utensils and securing the lids on the ice cream tubs (necessitating opening the freezer for some sweet, sweet relief), when he heard a throat clear behind him.

Not looking up, he called back, "Sorry, we're closed for the day."

"Ah," came a familiar, light voice. "I see I came too late today." Gray spun around, just catching the wicked smile starting to form on the woman's face as she tacked on, "For both the ice cream and the show." This time, Sorano had come without the hat, though still wearing a sundress.

"That might be construed as harassment," Gray quipped, not truly upset but still feeling a little warm in the neck at the reminder of what had happened before, and more than a little bit mesmerized by how her hair glowed in the fading light - almost ethereal.

Sorano raised an equally pale eyebrow as she appraised him. "For you or for me?"

Caught staring, Gray spluttered unintelligably. For lack of anything else to say on the topic, he abruptly switched it. "Did you enjoy the ice cream?"

The smile on her face softened slightly. "No."

Now that was a punch straight to the gut.

"...But my sister enjoyed it very much. I'm afraid I don't really care for ice cream personally." The wicked gleam in her eyes had returned in full force.

"How can someone not enjoy ice cream?" Gray muttered in shock. What utter blasphemy had he just witnessed?

She gave him a slight shrug. "Didn't have much occasion to develop a taste for it growing up."

That seemed fair, given Gray's limited knowledge of Sorano's past. "Then why come back?" he asked. "Looking for a another show? I'll have you know I kept my clothes on all day this time." Much to his discomfort.

A light laugh, as sibilant as he remembered, met his words. "Maybe I did?"

Gray considered her for a long moment. "Give me a few more minutes to finish closing up? Then maybe we can... try out a few other things you may have missed out on in the past."

Sorano licked her lips. "With or without your clothes?"

Defeated, Gray put his face in his hands and let out a groan. "I'm going to hear about this all night, aren't I?"

"If you play your cards right, you just might."

[raysofcrosby]

can we see a little sneak peek at the epilogue pleaseeeeeee☺️

sure thing! 🥰

below the cut is a sneak peek of the wltay epilogue!

“You know that they’re getting ready to take off, right?” Matt asked, coming up beside Caroline’s chair and resting his hands against the back of his beside her.

“Mhhm, they handed out the sparklers just a bit ago.” Caroline nodded down at the packaged sparkler in front of her, the packaging giving a time to line up just outside and that someone would be there to light them for them.

“Which means the night is coming to an end…”

“I hope so,” she laughed, placing her glass down in front of her and shifting in her chair, tugging up on her deep coral colored bridesmaid dress and poking out her left foot, still wearing her nude heels. “My feet are starting to kill me and the moscato only helps so much.”

“We can take care of that later,” Matt said, grabbing onto both hands and tugging her up onto her feet. “But right now, we’re going to dance before the wedding ends.”

“But my feet,” she pouted, letting Matt hold onto her hand as he led them onto the ballroom floor.

“I’ll rub your feet tonight and tomorrow,” he stopped in the middle of the dance floor and wrapped his right arm around her waist, pulling her into him as he held onto her right hand with his left. “But right now, we’re dancing. Capiche?”

“You’re not sleeping at your parents’ place tonight?” She asked, resting her left arm on his right arm and placing her hand on his shoulder.

“Oh no, definitely not. Ethan is, but not me. I’m staying with you in your room.”

“Matthew,” she rolled her eyes as he smiled. “We’re not crossing that line.”

“I know, I know,” he replied, sighing. “The one time when we got back from the lake house was bad enough, but I sure as hell don’t regret it. What’s a Stanley Cup celebration without some Stanley Cup celebration sex, hm?”

Caroline shook her head, resting her forehead against his shoulder so he couldn’t see her blush. It wasn’t intentional– her and Matt sleeping together– it really was sort of an accident...that involved being way too drunk from brunch with Brady and Emma that first weekend back from the lake house. They all ended up crashing at Brady and Emma’s place, and while Emma attempted to take a shower while Matt and Brady ordered food, Caroline was supposed to be taking a nap in their guest room.

Until Matt came walking in and cuddled up behind her and the soft kiss against her cheek, turned into a kiss on the mouth, then the hands got involved and before they knew it, the tension was high and they were naked, in each others arms and under the covers being woken up by a slightly less drunk Brady a few minutes later, who came to announce that the pizza was there and that Matt was going to pay to have the sheets and comforter cleaned.

Since then, they haven’t crossed the line. The small touches, lingering hugs and simple kisses were fine to them. Matt could stay the night and sleep in her bed with her and that was fine too– but sex was a no-go. Even while the being around each other was enough to solidify her feelings, it was the sex that would make her want to skip out on the hard work she was putting in with Moira in working through her issues from the past.

And that was something she was adamant about working on, for everyone’s sakes– but more specifically, her own and her little family’s.

“I’m more than okay with just sleeping beside you for the night, no sex needed.” He whispered, resting his head beside hers. “Just something to get used to once we finally figure everything out, because when we do, I can guarantee you that when I’m home for the summer that I’ll be sleeping over at your place.”

“You haven’t considered getting your own place here yet for the summers?”

Matt shrugged, trying to hide the sheepish smile on his face. “I’ll admit that I’ve been looking at a few places in the neighborhood, but I’m not looking to buy until we get everything settled.”

“And by settled you mean…”

“Definitely you and me in a relationship of course, duh.”

“I thought we were starting over, hm?” She laughed, looking at him.

“I mean, we don’t have to start way over...right? I’m pretty sure we don’t have to take it as slow as you and doucheface were. I’ve stayed over plenty of times, you and Ethan literally stayed at my apartment back in Calgary and we have years of history together. How much do we really need to start over with besides the obvious?” He asked, spinning her out before bringing her back in.

“You live in Calgary nine months out of the year, Matt. So what are we talking about here?” She asked, stopping him from spinning her out again. “Living together for three months here every summer in St. Louis where we’re vacationing some of the time? Or living together twelve months out of the year, both in Calgary and St. Louis?”

Matt paused, looking at her as he rested both hands at the small of her back. “It’s whatever you want to do, Care. You and E made a really solid foundation here and it wouldn’t be the first time a player lives somewhere different than his family for the season. I’ll do whatever’s best for you both.”

“Sounds like you’ve got more than just dating in mind there, Matthew,” she spoke softly, a teasing smile on her face.

“The tradition is that the people who catch the bouquet and the garter get married next, right?” He smiled.

“Does it really count if the toss was fixed?”

“Pft, of course it does!” He said, dipping her down slowly as he smiled and brought her back up. “Besides, who said it was fixed?”

“I don’t know,” she smiled, the song coming to an end as they stayed on the dance floor. “Maybe it was Taryn shooing everyone else away from us in the circle?”

Matt rolled his eyes as he held her hand and the two of them walked back to their table. “What my sister does is her own thing. But I can promise you I didn’t set it up.” He pulled her chair out, scooting it back in once she sat down before sitting down next to her and turning towards her in his chair. “But back to your original question, yes. I’ve definitely got more than dating in mind.”

Caroline reached for her glass of moscato and took a sip, savoring the taste before looking at him. “You know...when we were walking down the aisle together, I may or may not have pictured it being you and me on our wedding day.”

“We’re getting married?” He asked, gasping as he grabbed his beer bottle. “An invitation would’ve been nice.”

She was the one who rolled her eyes this time at his teasing tone. “I’m not saying that we are right now, I was just saying it was easy to picture.”

“Do you still have that pinterest board of your dream wedding you made back in high school?” He asked, a teasing smile on his lips as he brought the bottle to his mouth. “Am I still wearing the gray suit and the purple accessories?”

“Lavender, thank you,” she replied, putting her glass back onto the table. “And I plead the fifth on my wedding board.”

“I have been told that is my best color, by you of course...and my Mom,” he laughed, taking another sip of his beer. “Just answer one more question before you cease the wedding talk until our own, hm?”

She picked her glass back up, preparing herself for whatever it was he was going to ask. “Okay, I’m listening.”

“Did you ever look at that board when you were planning your wedding with doucheface?” His tone was playful still, but Caroline didn’t miss the seriousness behind his playful question.

“Nope,” Caroline replied, shaking her head as she brought the glass up to her lips. “Never glanced at it once. And if we’re being honest...I didn’t get very far in the wedding planning process. I only got as far as ordering a magazine to look at dresses, but that’s it.”

“Good,” Matt nodded, failing to hide the smile as he finished off the rest of his beer before putting it down onto the table.

“Momma, I’m tired,” Ethan pouted, walking up and standing in between Matt and Caroline’s chairs, leaning against Matt’s legs.

“You had all that cake after I told you not to, didn’t you?” She asked, looking at him as he nodded. “So now you’re coming down from that sugar high you said you wouldn’t get even though I told you it’d happen, right?’

“Mhhm,” he nodded, still pouting as he pried at Matt’s knees to step between them, leaning further against Matt. “Can we go home now, Daddy?”

“We’ve still got to say bye to BeeBee and Emmy, but after that we’ll ride home with Papa Walt and Mimi, okay?” Matt asked, picking Ethan up and sitting him on his lap.

“Which speaking of,” Caroline said, nodding around them as everyone was getting up to walk towards the designated spot. “We should probably get our sparklers and go line up.”

“What do you think, E?” Matt asked, getting Ethan to lift his head up off of his shoulder. “Can you stay awake a little longer to light up the sparkler? I’ll let you hold mine and yours, that way I can carry you, okay?”

“Okay, I can do that.” Ethan nodded, getting off of Matt’s lap and standing there as Matt stood up, grabbing onto the two sets of sparklers and handing them to him. “Where do we go?”

“Just follow Mom and I, okay?” Matt replied, resting his hand on Ethan’s shoulder as he waited for Caroline to grab her sparkler. “Ready?”

“Ready.” Caroline nodded, adjusting her dress as she stood beside him, draping her purse across her chest and holding onto the sparklers. “What?” She asked, looking up to see Matt smiling at her.

“Nothing, come on,” he replied, shaking his head and placing his hand on the small of her back, walking alongside her to the location they needed to be.

They lined up towards the end of the line, being one of the last people who would see Brady and Emma before they got into their ride to head back home to their apartment before they would wake up early the next morning to head off to the airport and start their honeymoon. Andrew and Nonnie were across the way from them, Keith and Chantal as well, everyone on either side of the line starting to light up their sparklers, using their neighbors as the flame while Brady and Emma stood at the very front of the makeshift tunnel.

Matt carried Ethan on his left hip, turning him towards Caroline as Caroline lit both of the sparklers, using hers before they followed everyone else in holding the sparklers up out in front of them and just above their heads, everyone cheering as Emma and Brady ran by their friends and family, big smiles on their faces and waving as they reached their car. They each stopped by their parents one last time, giving them a hug and a kiss and saying goodbye to their siblings before getting into their car and driving away from the venue and back towards home.

“Can we go home now, Daddy?” Ethan yawned, looking at Matt.

“We can go home now, E.” Matt nodded, pointing ahead of them and he squatted down and put Ethan onto the ground. “There’s Papa Walt and Mimi right there, why don’t you go see if they’re ready to go, okay?”

“M'kay,” Ethan nodded, rubbing his left eye as he walked across the way and over to Keith and Chantal.

“I know I told you earlier when we were walking down the aisle, but you look beautiful tonight,” Matt said, resting his hand on the small of Caroline’s back as he walked them over towards his parents. “If the officiant was still here, I’d have him marry us right now.”

“And you look quite handsome yourself,” she smiled, wrapping an arm around his waist and leaning against his arm. “You ready to go home?”

“With you?” He smiled, bending down and kissing her temple before brushing his lips just by her left ear. “Always.”

[stay-tinystars]

Colors: Masquerade

Ship: Hyunjin x Fem reader

Non idol au, Soul Mate AU

Warnings: sarcasm, bitter feelings, tripping over things, slight hitting/slapping (nothing violent), Chan is a tease, reader is implied to be older, I think that's it.

Word count: 4.2 k

A/N: So I wanted to write something for Hyunjins birthday. I always have been intrigued by Soul mate AUs so I wrote one. I haven't seen this one done before, so I hope you all like it. I plan on doing a one shot for each SKZ member for this AU. So some skz members will feature slightly in this and future stories. The series will be called Colors.

I hope you enjoy! And Happy birthday to Hyunjin! He is amazing, talented, and just drop dead gorgeous! Happy 21st international birthday! --story published Mar 19 2021 6:00pm MDT

---------------------------

Most people couldn't wait to meet their soulmate. The one person who would change not only your life, but your eyes.

Everyone was born with two different colored eyes, they say those colors determined your childhood. Overall they generalized the colors; Blues usually meant they were inspired kids, inspiring themselves and others to do great things. Green meant they had luck on their side. Brown had resilient personalities, bringing a sense of dependability to others. Purples were very independent and creative. Grays had a sophistication that most children lacked. And so on and so forth. By the time you reached middle school everyone knew what their exact eye colors meant, and some say it predicted how you would find someone.

Eyes however didn't remain two separate colors your whole life. Once you met your soulmate they changed almost in an instant, color shifting for a few seconds until your eye color perfectly matched that of your mates. Some say time seemed to stop once they noticed their mates' eyes changing, but one thing was for sure no one felt their eyes change color, the only thing they usually felt was their heart speeding up. 

You originally couldn't wait to find your soul mate. You got caught up in the feeling of it all. You believed he would be everything you wanted and more. During your teens it's all you dreamed about, how you'd meet in some perfect way, how he would sweep you off your feet. However the past few years had made you bitter, watching friend after friend find their mate leaving you in the dust.

"You'll be the same when you find your mate" they would say as you grimaced as they would kiss and cuddle in front of you. Most of those so called friends never invited you to things anymore, because you couldn't relate because you didn't have someone. They said it was because they didn't want you to feel like the third wheel, but mostly you knew it's because they pitied you for not having someone. "It's a shame you don't have anyone, I hope he's still around somewhere"

You were starting to feel like you had some sort of disease, because that's how you were treated by those 'friends'.

Things only felt worse as you stared at the flyer someone slid under your door.

-----

Hyunjin pov

"Mandatory masquerade spring formal." He read as he lifted the flyer from the pile of mail next to his door. Hyunjin hated these mandatory regional events. At least this one was just a formal instead of a full costume ball, like the last one. The large cities throw these balls, three times a year. Anyone over the age of 20, who hadn't found their soulmate was required to go. This would be his third ball, he hoped it would be his last. Sure he wanted to meet his soulmate, but mostly he wanted all the girls who came to these things to stop throwing themselves at him, staring at his eyes hoping to see a change. Most would find it flattering, in fact Hyunjin did back in high-school he always loved the attention. Curious which girl would try during lunch that day. Now it was getting old, he wanted someone who truly saw his soul, not just his good looks.

Hyunjin sighed as he looked at himself in the floor length mirror, black suit pants, navy silk long sleeve button up with the top three buttons undone. A dark night sky scene was painted on the mask that rested on his nose. His long dark hair pulled away from his face. His eyes unchanged, still two different colors. One burnt umber, the other ocean blue.

He was curious of what color his eyes would change to once he met his soulmate, he heard it depends on how and when they meet.

For instance, his dad had similar eye colors to his before he met mom. They met on a stormy day, each on their way their jobs enjoying the rain. They met while dancing out in the light spring shower while waiting at a crosswalk. Now his parents both had beautiful bright gray eyes, the same color as the storm clouds as they parted for the sun that day.

Would his eyes turn the Navy he had chosen for this dance if he met her tonight? He sighed to himself, shaking his head slightly as he grabbed his things and left his apartment.

--

Reader pov.

At least the food they provided at these mandatory balls was delicious, it seemed the only incentive that was worth the trouble of being here. The numerous hors d'oeuvres were delicious, and you had a plate full of all the different types to make sure they still tasted delicious.

Truthfully you hated being here. You had been to too many of these things to count. At this point you wondered if your soulmate was dead, or lost somewhere. Simply because you hadn't met him yet, and it felt as if time was ticking. Maybe that's because your friends all found their mates within the year you all turned twenty. Now here you were five years later, still with miss matched eyes. One pewter gray, one lavender.

You wore the same dress you always did to these balls. At first it made you feel amazing, like a princess. Now it only brought you bitterness. The purple satin that faded to blue, a galaxy made of glitter across the bodice. The mask on your face was silver, making your eyes seem to shine.

"You look bored" a familiar voice got your attention, as he sat at the empty table next to you. Dressed in all black as he usually was. Looking devilishly handsome as always.

"Chan, I'm always bored at these things. You're the only one who talks to me" you sighed leaning on the table as you looked towards him. 

Chan was a god send at these things. He became your friend a few years ago, during one of these balls. His dimples made every girl swoon, it was the first thing you noticed about him, but what made you stay was the wonderful caring conversation that was so rare at these things. He actually wanted friends, not just a soulmate. He was truly a social butterfly.

"Maybe if you leave the table, and stop glaring at anyone who approaches, someone might talk to you." His mischievous eyes of emerald green and royal purple danced beneath his black mask, as he stole some hors d'oeuvres off your plate. Popping one into his mouth.

"Shut up Chan, not all of us are as charming as you!" you playfully hit his arm. He gasped softly and grabbed his arm in fake pain.

"I'm sure you could be somewhat charming. That is, if you took the "F off" stamp off your forehead." he teased making a face at you.

"Very funny" Rolling your eyes, looking back towards your plate of food, then towards the dance floor which was filled with eager young people, all dancing and talking. Switching partners every song or so. You watched as one couple suddenly stopped dancing, their eyes growing large. She squealed, jumping up and down as he hugged her. Another happy couple, another soulmate found.

You wanted to vomit.

"I want to know how neither of us have found our match, we've both been too far too many of these." You groaned, sliding down in your chair. Not caring how unladylike it was. You glanced towards Chan, who was just enjoying watching everyone.

"I suspect my match is elsewhere" his words wise, his eyes looking towards the newest happy couple fondly. "I think they might be at one of these in their own region"

"She probably is cursing your name right now, wondering why you are taking so long to find her." you started.

"Like you are cursing yours right now?" You wanted to smack that smirk off his face.

"Chan you can be infuriating." You stood, smoothing out your skirt. Chan chuckled following you. Knowing you wanted some fresh air.

"Maybe you don't want to crash the next regional dance with me." he nudged you as you both walked around the main crowd, towards the large outdoor balcony.

"Now that is a good idea, I didn't think you had any of those left" you looked towards him with a shocked expression. Your foot caught on something, then someone's body bumped into yours.

That's when you ended up flat on your back, your mask slightly askew.

The music seemed to stop. In fact it had. You looked at your converse clad feet which were tangled in the electrical cords from the DJ booth. Chan was laughing. The DJ scrambled from the booth to fix the electrical situation. You shifted, untangling yourself best as possible from the cords. Muttering a slight apology to the frazzled dark haired man, as he gathered the cords quickly.

"I'm so sorry!" A new voice said as he stumbled to his feet beside you. His navy shirt hanging loosely around him. "I wasn't even looking where I was going," he said, dusting himself off. Then looking at you, and offering a hand.

"It's my fault too, I wasn't looking." You said taking his hand, to help you to your feet. Then glaring at Chan who was beside himself with fits of laughter. "I was too busy chiding my friend" you gestured towards Chan, shaking your head.

"My name is Hyunjin" the handsome man smiled, his mask shimmered as the little iridescent stars caught light.

"Y/N " you said with a slight bow, fixing your mask.

"It's nice to meet you, I haven't seen you here before." he smiled, he was ridiculously attractive.

"Well she's been here, forever" Chan exaggerated as he leaned on your shoulder. You shoved him away.

"Shut up Chan."

"Well you have!" He put his hand up in mock defense.

"I'm so done with you!" You walked away, then turned to Hyunjin and gave a quick wave. He gave a small nod, as a girl approached him tapping him on the shoulder.

You took that as your queue to leave. You felt so done with everything, still hadn't felt that spark everyone gushed about. You felt slightly embarrassed about cutting the music with your own clumsy feet. You made a fool of yourself thanks to Chan, you just knew you needed out.

When you got home you were exhausted, and changed out of your gown, and quickly washed your face then just went to bed.

------

Hyunjin

Hyunjin nodded, as the strange but cute girl practically ran away. Feeling a small tap on his shoulder his attention was brought to a girl in a pink poofy ball gown. The music was starting up again, he knew she was going to ask him to dance. Why had he come in from the balcony?

"So I've been watching you all night. And…." Her eyes widened. "What color are my eyes?" She asked quickly, her words stumbling out of her mouth.

"Um.." Hyunjin cocked his brows as he looked closer, kind of confused. "Dark blue, and light green?"

Her face fell, then he saw multiple emotions flash over her face, ending in anger.

"Why are you here if you already have a soulmate? Shouldn't you be with them!" She practically yelled. Hyunjin was confused, as the girl slapped his arm and ran away. What a strange turn of events. First he ran into that girl, Y/n? Now he just got some weird girl thinking he had a soulmate, these balls got worse every time, maybe he would call it a night.

He went to the bathroom, still bewildered by the weird situation that just happened. As he took off his mask he looked in the mirror.

"What the hell?!" He yelled at his reflection, leaning on the counter, getting closer to the mirror. Both ofHis eyes a bright flaming orange. He felt as if he was looking at a campfire in his eyes. His mind started reeling. How had he met his soulmate? He had barely talked to anyone all night, he had hid on the balcony outside for the first hour of this thing, just eating the hors d'oeuvres that were provided. He then came inside to try to make the night worthwhile, and while looking at the decorated ballroom, he ran into someone, literally. That's when it clicked, the girl he literally ran into, it had to be her. She was the only one he talked to!

"Y/N, I've got to find Y/N!" He grabbed his mask and ran out of the bathroom.

Two hours of searching later, Hyunjin sat defeated at a random table. He sat his mask down and slumped in the chair, as he watched happy couples in pairs all around the room. That's what was supposed to be happening to him right now, staring into his soul mates eyes, dancing the night away without a care in the world.

Who had ever heard of a soulmate who didn't know. A soulmate who didn't say anything. These stupid masks, they cover up half your face, distorting the eyes. The dark room. How did they expect people to see the change with those factors?

He always heard that when you saw the change and knew, but he hadn't seen her eyes change, plus she ran off so quickly. Maybe he should've gone after her. No, that would've been creepy, plus he didn't know at the time.

What was he supposed to do? He wasn't even sure exactly what she looked like. That's when he saw his chance. He swears that's Y/Ns friend from earlier, in the all black and black mask talking to the DJ right now. Hyunjin quickly stood and bee lined towards the man in black.

"Excuse me, your Chan right?" Hyunjin said, approaching him.

"Yes, and you're Hyunjin?" The man smiled, as Hyunjin nodded. Chan resumed watching the people on the dance floor in front of him.

"Yeah, I, uh, ran into your friend Y/N earlier" Hyunjin rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah you did, quite literally." he chuckled, side eying and gently elbowing Hyunjin.

"Well that's the thing. I kind of need to find her."

"Did she break your phone or something?" He asked.

"No, she's kind of my soulmate." Hyunjin blurted.

"What?" Chan choked on air, as his eyes bugged out. He turned and grabbed Hyunjin's shoulders, looking him straight in the eye, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he saw the orange in his eyes.

"She's the first one I talked to tonight at this stupid thing. After hiding on the balcony. I didn't even know it happened til another girl started to flirt with me." Hyunjin now turned his attention to the dance floor.

"I'm sorry to tell you, but she's long gone." Hyunjin felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

"I figured, since I've been looking for her for over two hours" he heard the other male grimace on his behalf.

"So I was wondering if you could help me out. All I know about her is her first name." Hyunjin looked towards his shoes, trying to distract himself with the nice polished shine.

"Well I could help," Chan smirked and Hyunjins head snapped up looking at him, "but I'm not sure I owe Y/N the courtesy of helping her out." Chans mischievous two toned eyes shone playfully.

"I thought she was your friend" Hyunjin was slightly confused, yet again this evening.

"Oh she is, she just owes me after bailing on me tonight." He looked at his phone. "And being as I have no messages from her freaking out. I bet she didn't even notice before she went to sleep"

They exchanged information, Chan excited to be in the middle of this. Curious of how you would react in the morning. Promising Hyunjin to keep him informed.

-----

Your pov

The blaring alarm on your phone made you groan, you silenced it and rolled back over. Some days you wish you didn't have to work, but being a manager over editing on the largest magazine in the city meant you couldn't miss work. Yet you still fell back asleep.

When your alarm went off to tell you it was time to leave you woke up in a panic. You quickly showered and dressed, grabbing some breakfast then you were out the door, not even bothering with makeup as you were going to be late.

"Oh my gosh! Tell me everything!" Joy, your second in command gushed as you entered the office.

"Nothing out of the ordinary at those stupid balls. Food again was the only reason to attend" you muttered as you set your things down on your desk, and plopped in your chair.

"Obviously that's a lie! Now tell me what really happened!" Joy pestered. Her vivid seafoam green eyes, staring you down. She found her soulmate just after she started working with you, but she always wanted to gossip and talk about those meeting their matches. It intrigued her for some reason.

"I told you everything. I went ate food, watched all the stupid romantic couples, headed outside. Tripped on the cords for the DJ booth then left." You huffed, leaning back. She put her hands on your chair making you face her. You cocked your eyebrows at her.

"You don't know? How can you not know" Her words confusing, and accusing.

"Joy, what are you talking about?" You groaned. She then dug in her purse bringing out her compact.

"I know I didn't do my makeup today." 

"Just look in the mirror"

"But-"

"Just look in the mirror Y/N" you grabbed the compact from her hand and looked at yourself, trying to see what she was talking about. Nothing seemed out of place, you didn't have any bruises from the collision last night. You went to close the mirror when you glimpsed orange. You immediately pulled it back to your face. Eyes wide.

"I…. What?" Your words lost and confused.

"Now tell me about him!" She sat on the edge of your desk looking at you.

"I only talked to Chan last night. And we both know he isn't my match" you sat staring at the mirror in your hand. Going through everything that happened, you grabbed your phone. Quickly texting Chan.

--What color are your eyes???

you hadn't heard of knowing someone for years before they became a soulmate but you had to ask.

"Well you had to have met someone new" she nudged your leg.

"That's the thing, I don't remember talking to anyone else. Just Chan annoying me, then-" the sudden realization hit you. "I ran into someone, literally"

"Of course that's how you would meet your match" she nodded. "You are kind of clumsy"

"Oh hush!" You pushed her slightly, she just laughed.

"So tell me about him"

"Um, he was handsome? I think his name was Hajun? No, Hyunwoo? I don't remember. I was a little frazzled last night. Plus we only talked for a second after we both ended up on the floor" you muttered, leaning back in your chair again looking at the ceiling. When your phone buzzed.

-why are yours perhaps a different color

-say orange? 😏

--Well I never expected you to be my soulmate after all this time….

- what are you going on about? My eyes are still a perfect green and purple.

--Chan what do you know...

- Far more than you think

--Chan tell me! Did you talk to Hyunwoo?

-I don't know a Hyunwoo.

-do you perhaps mean Hyunjin?

-- YES! Hyunjin! Are his eyes also orange

-- dumb question

--you told me orange before I told you what color my eyes are.

-this is actually very entertaining

- you're over thinking everything aren't you.

-- Shut up Chan!

-- Do you have his info

- Maybe, but you told me to shut up so I will!

--Chan! No!

-- Please!

--I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you! I need his number.

- Only if you do something for me

-- I don't like where this is going...

- you never do.

- dinner 6 pm tonight, at Ombu downtown.

- be there and I might give you what you want after you pay for dinner.

-- You only like me for my money

- I have more money than you!

--So you say, but I always pay.

- just meet me at 6.

"So Chan knows who it is, but won't give me his information" you said looking at Joy who was now actually working at her desk. Like you should be.

"Typical Chan, let me guess. Making you buy him dinner in exchange for the information." You nodded. "I swear whoever his soulmate is better cook well, he will do anything in exchange for food" she shook her head.

Work was over soon enough, and so you changed into jeans and a blouse, did a small amount of makeup and headed downtown. Ombu was your typical spot to go with Chan. Delicious Korean barbecue, their meat selections far better than the other places around. Which is why Chan always insisted on going there. 

"Welcome, Y/N! Chan is already waiting for you" Rose the usual hostess said guiding you towards your usual back corner booth, Chan loved this booth, he could people watch and it had the best hot plate.

"Thanks Rose!" You say as she motions towards the table. Your eyes grew as you looked at the table. Not only seeing Chan, but you couldn't stop staring at the orange eyed man next to him. "Hyunjin, right?" You said softly as you took your seat, he nodded a smile came across his face as he stared at you.

You finally started to understand why those couples would just stare into one another's eyes. His eyes were intriguing, bringing you a sense of peace. His eyes looked like the flames of the comforting campfires you enjoyed so much as a child. You almost wanted to just curl up and look in his eyes forever.

"Well, now I can see this is going to be awkward. So I'm just going to order food to get the dinner started" Chan said. You hadn't even realized the waiter had come to the table to take your order.

"Sorry" you and Hyunjin muttered at the same time. Followed by nervous giggles.

"I wasn't expecting to see you tonight," you said to Hyunjin. "Chan wanted dinner in exchange for your information. I didn't think he would bring you"

"Well, I asked him to keep me informed last night, after I couldn't find you. So once he told me you guys were getting dinner I wouldn't let him tell me no" his hand drifted towards yours on the table.

"So you're persistent," you noted.

"Very." He smirked moving closer.

"Look, guys I want dinner. Can't you guys make heart eyes at each other afterwards. I just want to eat. And if this continues, you guys are going to make me sick." Chan groaned.

"I'll try to behave," you said as you reached towards Hyunjins hand, taking it in yours.

"You don't know how to behave." Chan teased. You just rolled your eyes, shaking your head. You usually would say something back, but you were slightly distracted by the soft circles being drawn by Hyunjins thumb on the back of your hand.

Two weeks later you sat in Hyunjins apartment. Cuddling as you watched an action comedy. Your head resting on his chest as his arm draped around you. You started to get to know your match well. You found out he worked at the large musical academy. He taught dance, and music history. He was doing quite well for himself, he had a nice place, a car, and was decently responsible with his money.

Hyunjin was your soulmate, your match. Aside from that first night at ombu with Chan; the two of you did your best not to be disgustingly cute in front of those who didn't have their match yet. Such as his roommate Han, who usually ended up joining the two of you for movie nights.

Truthfully life was good, you felt less bitter about it all. Of course it wasn't perfect, and you still had a lot to learn about the other, but this was what you needed. You needed someone who was whole, who had a kind heart and soul. And that was what you got, it was just a perk that he was ridiculously attractive.

Hyunjin was grateful to have finally found you too. He didn't mind being younger. He loved your caring heart, protected by its sarcastic shell. He couldn't believe he met someone who already had so much drive and compassion. He loved your playful banter with his friends, he was grateful you accepted his friends and did your best to make them comfortable. Plus he couldn't ever take his eyes off of you. In his mind you were perfect in every way, despite the flaws you insisted you had.

He felt lucky being the first of his friends to find his match.

-- Orange meaning: warmth, enthusiasm, success, encouragement, change, determination, stimulation, happiness, fun, sexuality, freedom, expression, and fascination. --

[nelapanela94]

THIEF

LevixFem!Y/N Warnings: Slight 18+ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Focus. Steel gray orbs re-read the same line for the nth time. Again. How was he supposed to finish all his paperwork by evening if he was stuck in the same sentence? Levi took a sip of his peppermint tea, placed the cup back on the table and shook his head determined to complete his work in due time. But the scene that has been wandering in his head since morning wouldn't allow it.

Stupid Y/N, why was she so careless?

He covered his face with his hands and groaned in frustration. His cheeks felt warmer under his touch. The recently promoted Captain turned around in his chair, stood up, and walked towards the window. Maybe a little fresh air would ease his mind.

He couldn’t be more wrong, though.

The cause of his sinful thoughts entered his field of vision. Y/N had come back from patrolling, her horse walking quietly by her side as she led it back to the stables. At least, she was fully dressed this time; however, it didn't stop his heart from pounding wildly in his chest. His eyes followed her as his mind took him back to the events from early that day. .

After showering, getting dressed, and having his morning tea, Levi had decided to take a walk around the training grounds before breakfast was served. He wanted a peaceful moment for himself, away from the hustle and bustle of everyone's morning routine.

He walked aimlessly at a slow, leisurely pace with only one thing in mind.

A person, indeed.

Y/N had been a scout before he joined the Survey Corps. She, as well as Hange, had been one of the few people who didn't belittle Levi and his friends; and when he lost Isabel and Farlan, she did her best to comfort him. With her positive attitude and kind-hearted personality, it was easy for her to make friends.

As time passed, he developed feelings for Y/N that he couldn’t fully recognized at first. Hange was first to realized he had a crush on her, and could not restrain from teasing the grumpy raven-haired. He had been in utter denial for so long, but eventually found himself thinking of her first thing every morning and last every night. She had become the thief of his thoughts, and it seemed she wouldn't settle for so little. No, that greedy Y/N was taking over his heart as well.

The growing sound of burbling water took him back to reality. Levi studied his surroundings when he reached the source of the buzzing sound.

Has this been here all the time?

The waterfall was greenish-blue, gushing over the rocks and thundering down into the pool like a massive water spout. Foam formed on the surface as the water toppled into the plunge pool. The place was still cool and foggy, since the sun light was yet to bring its joy and warmth.

Levi rested his back against a tree trunk, contemplating the beautiful nature's work when his gaze darted towards a strange silhouette in the mist. With squinting eyes, he came closer to get a better view of the figure, but nothing would've prepared him for what he was about to see.

His eyes opened wide as he covered his mouth with his hands, abruptly turning around. A red shade crept across his face and his breathes quickened.

There she was, serenely and undisturbed, floating face up on the water surface with her eyes closed and arms extended out to the side. The only issue, and cause of his shameful reaction was that the girl was naked. Completely naked.

He hid behind a rock before she noticed she wasn’t alone.

Levi felt the urge to take a peek and make sure it wasn’t his brain conspiring against him, but he didn’t want to feel like a perv. He didn't want to leave either. What if somebody else showed up and took advantage of her. He had to be there to protect her.

His pants were getting tighter, and his eyes looked down at the bulge in embarrassment. The ravenette felt like a teenage boy under the influence of hormones.

Fuck. .

Levi turned his head to the door when he heard the knocks. He straightened his back and fixed the collar of his shirt.

"name and business"

"It's me, Levi"

He swallowed the lump in his throat at the sound of Y/N's voice. "Come on in" he firmly said, doing his best to disguise his nervousness.

She stepped in, closing the door behind her. "Captain Levi, my bad" she offered an apologetic smile.

"Y/N, you know you can drop it"

She walked closer and handed him a small wrapped box with a bow on top. "This is for you. Congratulations for your promotion, Captain"

"Thanks" a small smile drew on his lips as his cheeks slightly blushed.

"I made it in my pottery class, I hope you like it" She swiveled around, taking a look at his new office. It was the first time she stopped by after he was named captain. "Sweet. You even get your own room." She commented. "This place is nice, I think I'll come more often" She cuckled. "Only if you want me to" Y/N whirled around again to see him, with a lopsided grin displayed on her face. He was leaning against the desk, his hands resting on his side.

Her brows knitted, scanning his face as she approached him. "Are you ok?" She asked with concern in her voice and placed the back of her hand on his forehead, making the man jolt back.

His heart pounded hard in his chest; he was certain she could hear the beating sound.

"I...I'm alright" he stammered, giving himself away.

And she finally understood.

Y/N batted her eyeslashes and slightly opened her mouth with the tip of her tongue showing. "I see"

She leaned forward, only an inch keeping their lips apart. "You look so adorable when you're all flustered" she teased flirtatiously, placing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Don't hesitate anymore and kiss me already, dummy"

He was left startled at her words. Did she have the same feelings for him or was she just playing with his heart? He had to find out anyway.

With his hands on her shoulders he closed the small gap, pressing his mouth against hers and time stopped instantly. Y/N's heart beat faster and harder and her legs wobbled, almost losing her balance. Delicately and gently, his peppermint flavored lips brushed hers. She wondered if she was daydreaming again with this moment, but the firm squeezed on her shoulders reassured her it was utterly real. Levi half opened his eyes to sneak a peek at her, just to ensure it wasn’t his imagination toying with his emotions.

When he was ready to pull away, she kissed him back wrapping her arms around his neck, and all shyness and insecurities drifted away from him. His hands traveled up and cupped her face as his body detached from the desk he was resting on, deepening the kiss.

What had started innocent and sweet turned fierce and desperate. Her lips parted instinctively and his tongue began the conquest in the depths of her mouth, demanding and consuming.

He smelled incredible. And she didn’t mean the fresh lavender from his impeccably cleaned clothes, but his natural masculine scent that she found intoxicating.

Her hands slid down his perfectly sculpted chest, then his torso, and only stopped when they felt the leather of his belt under their touch. Heat rose from her stomach to her chest. She wanted more of him. She needed more. Guilt inundated her whenever she touched herself picturing his body pressed against hers. He had stolen all her dreams, not only the sweet ones, but the dirty and raw ones as well, and now they were near to come true.

His lips traveled down her jaw, leaving a trail of kisses, and settled in her neck. "Levi" she weakly said, tipping her head back while his mouth moved along her sensitive skin.

"Huh?"

With her hands grabbing his belt, she pulled him towards her body, grinding her pelvis against the hard bulge in his pants. "Fuck, Y/N" He gasped. How can she switch from sweet to sexy in so little?

She smirked, leaning her mouth to his ear and muttered "I think is the perfect time to show me your new room Captain"

[hydrangeasimagination]

Chocolate Kisses

Homemade chocolates!! They're traditionally used in Japan as a means of confession or conveyance of your feelings.

The recipient then gets the chance to return the favor of the gift on White Day!

Usually, the reader is giving the chocolate but this time around, some characters are more keen on letting their feelings known… These are some unexpected and completely self indulgent pieces.

These are literally just a series of drabbles... Probably a little rushed and varying in length.

Credit to my friend for helping me with the chocolate idea.

=3=

Gender Neutral! Reader

These’ll be under the cut for space.

Happy Belated Valentine’s Day!

~ Dari

Aizawa Shouta / Eraserhead + Younger Nurse Reader

“Aizawa - senpai!”

The man’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest, instead setting at a rapid pace that raced against his ribs. Rattling him in his entirety from the inside.

He really wasn’t good at this.

Seeing you wrapped up in a cozy sweater and white coat isn’t good for his health even if you were there to improve said health. Especially on a day like this, where pink and red hearts decorate it along the lapels and sleeve cuffs. Making you all the more adorable.

Not to mention your call to the honorific that reflected the dynamic between you both.

Shouta nodded at you, gaze impassive, despite the turmoil lying just under the surface. He spoke your surname in a mumble, muffled from hiding behind his capture weapon.

His last line of defense to hide his face, of which he cursed for its sensitivity to blushing.

Your smile is brilliant, blinding as you bounce, “Yamada - senpai told me you had something for me?”

The chocolates he made were burning a hole in his pocket as he then proceeded to promise himself that he’d gut Yamada if it was the last thing he did. He is unable to muster a word for another minute or two, slightly shaking hand holding his creation to you.

Wrapping scattered with clusters of stars, tied messily in gray string.

“I made them for you.” The words are awkward, even he cringed at how they sounded.

But nonetheless, you smile.

You blush.

You’re touching his hand.

... It looked as if gutting Mic could be put on hold... For now.

Bakugo Katsuki + Elder Reader

Lifting your head, yawning softly and peer at the perpetrator interrupting your nap.

"Oh." You blink and give a lax smile, "Hey."

"Don't 'hey' me." Katsuki snipped fiercely though the sight of your lidded gaze caused his cheeks to burn. "Were you just sleeping here? I told you to meet me during break! I had to come looking for you."

"Mmm," The soft grunt was coupled with you rubbing one of your eyes with a fist "you coulda asked Toshi where I was."

"Who?"

You deadpanned.

"Shinsou Hitoshi? My baby brother? C'mon, you're in the same year."

He seemed to huff at that, narrowing rubies upon you to try and hide his embarrassment from forgetting who you were speaking about. "Useless senpai."

You balk before just letting your expression fall back to one of neutrality. It was too much of a hassle to get angry, he was just trying to get you to react.

"Were you ever taught to respect your elders?" The light scolding barely had any heart in it, even as you lift yourself from the warm desk. "... You needed me for something right?"

The sun silhouetted you, tousled appearance just endearing the sleepy expression you don. Peering at him in wait for what he'd come to find you for.

Katsuki twitched, fingers twitching from their place - stuffed deep in his pockets. His chin tilted down, avoiding the curious gaze now pinning his suddenly heavy body in place. The tips of his ears burned under the scrutiny, shoulders tensed while he ripped one of his hands from his pocket.

A silence filled the room.

The boy didn't need to look at your face to find shock in it.

In his sweating palm, was something wrapped in black paper - patterned with comic explosions and tied with a green ribbon.

“Sorry.” Katsuki grit out the apology. 

He meant it though, as painful was it was to bluster the words from his lips. His heart raced, his other hand trembling in anticipation.

The wait was the hardest part.

Shinsou Hitoshi + School Idol Reader

“Shin - kun, help!”

There is a light spike of panic in his gut, having watched a serious spectacle upon his entrance to school. With pretty doe eyes, you stared at him with plea for aid, a collected pile of items nearly trapping you beneath them. Arms gathered with the gifts spilling from the inside of your locker, body pinning them so they didn’t touch the ground.

The adrenaline rush was soothed as he realized there was no danger, instead replaced with a hollow, sinking feeling wavering any confidence he had. 

Now here he stood, outside your classroom with a heaviness in his legs.

Staring at the chocolate he’d slaved over, a little burnt…

But enough to convey the feelings he’d had since the pair of you attended Nabu Middle. As it’d been wrapped in the very handkerchief you gave him, mopping up his bloodied nose and smiling so warm and sweet.

He cleaned it, of course.

It’s color once again a light lavender.

You told him to keep it, that it matched his hair.

Hitoshi sighed and frowned as he thought to himself, “Well, maybe next year.”

“If someone doesn’t beat you to it.”

He flinched at the nasty voice bouncing around in the back of his skull.

But he helped anyway, taking the precariously balanced boxes and letters. Obnoxiously stamped in hearts and buckets of glitter, they speckled your pristine uniform. Even after being tucked away in a bag.

“It gets worse every year.” He heard from within the room, making him lift his head. With cheekiness, the voice of a classmate teased, “You gonna break all their hearts again?”

Shinsou shifted closer to the door, peering between the gap. Watching you to shake the nightmarish arts and crafts medium from your clothes, you only stick your tongue out in response.

Huffing lowly, you turn your head and state, “I’m waiting for Hitoshi to confess, okay?”

His heart skipped.

What?

Takami Keigo / Hawks + Serious Reader

“Are you dumping a fan’s hard work off on me, Hawks?”

The slightly piercing tone of your melodic voice is enough to send a shudder down the length of his spine. A frostiness felt even through the phone - intimidating - but it wasn’t enough to keep him from smiling a little bit.

“Nah, nah,” He hummed, wings flapping in the chilly air “I’m not horrible.”

You grunt, the sound of paper crinkling made the line crackle.

He barely flinched; despite his sensitive ears ringing at the noise.

“These were handmade.”

“Yep.” Keigo agreed

Feathers ruffling, he landed, airing out the large appendages in his back. Perching on the streetlamp as he’d done many times before, staring into the glass window with an easygoing smile.

“Made ‘em myself.” He admitted, feeling the light sting along his knuckle in phantom of the burn he received.

He witnessed you fumble with the chocolate this time, scrambling to make sure it wasn’t wasted by it touching the floor. Pressing his hand to his mouth to hide a laugh, he can only feel his heart strings tangle between his ribs. Wildly spinning and wrapping his insides in an indescribable web of glee.

Your expression was so shy now, handling the wrapping with such care, “This… This was on purpose, right?”

The hero grinned, unable to stop himself.

“Why don’t you look out the window and tell me, pretty puffin.”

Todoroki Enji / Endeavor + Sidekick Reader

“Chocolate roses?”

You stared, incredulous, at the sight of them. Set in a crystal vase, woven together with a big, gold ribbon - the entire ensemble was terribly extravagant. The deliverer only giggled into the back of his hand and pressed them into your’s, leaving you staring down at them.

The scent of cocoa and macha percolating from them was lovely.

“Here’s the card!” He chirped, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Gingerly setting them on your desk, a fellow sidekick watched in amusement from her cubicle beside you as you hesitate to look at the card.

Who would have sent you these?

They were incredibly expensive, you recognize, from a high-end chocolatier shop near the Endeavor agency - where you worked.

Even the card gives you nary a clue as to who your admirer was.

“Get well soon, stay off your ankle.”

It was signed off with a single drawing of a flame.

Giving your neighbor a look, she just shrugged, signaling that she hadn’t known either. Leaving you to puzzle and puzzle over the possibilities.

Completely unaware as your companion knowingly drifted her eyes over to the lingering presence of your boss. Amused as to see his rather hasty retreat upon being caught.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes as she thought, “Todoroki, you need to learn how to be more subtle.”